A naval aviation division of the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command wrapped up an aerial early warning and reconnaissance training exercise recently, which experts said will boost China's defence capability in the South China Sea as US warships and aircraft have trespassed frequently into Chinese territorial waters and airspace.
The long-duration aerial early warning and reconnaissance training concluded in November, in which participating troops intercepted more than 10 kinds of simulated hostile anti-air radar signals and tested multiple tactics, the PLA Daily reported on Sunday.
Compared with the same training exercise that took place in 2018, this year's training significantly extended the flight duration, set more intensive hostile activities and tactical backgrounds and focused more on nighttime training, the PLA Daily quoted Yan Liang, chief of staff of a regiment under the participating naval aviation division, as saying.
Unlike previous drills, the troops did not receive any training plan in advance and entered the missions as if they were real, according to the report.
During the training, an aircraft group received urgent orders and shifted from training to a real combat state, as they were assigned an unexpected mission to track down and identify a group of maritime targets, the report said.
The Southern Theater Command Navy operates mainly in the South China Sea.
Training exercise like this will allow troops to become familiar with intense…
That’s what I call a target rich environment