China, Russia start joint naval drills

The destroyer Shenyang and comprehensive supply ship Hongze Lake are seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drills held in the sea of Japan, July 4, 2013. Chinese and Russian armed forces will take part in the Joint Sea-2013 drill in Peter the Great Bay from July 5 to July 12, and a joint anti-terrorism drill, Peace Mission-2013, will be held in Russia's Chelyabinsk from July 27 to August 15. [Xinhua]

Chinese and Russian armed forces have started their joint naval exercise on Friday in the waters of the Peter the Great Gulf outside Far East Russia's city of Vladivostok. The drill marks the first in a series of military exercises to be launched recently.

The two countries have dispatched a total of 18 surface vessels, one submarine, three fixed-wing aircrafts, five shipboard helicopters and two special warfare units to participate in the Joint Sea-2013 drill, which will last until July 12.

This is the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's largest presence in a joint military exercise conducted outside of China's maritime territory and the PLA Navy fleet's first overseas exercise with no logistic support from the home base.

"This is our strongest line-up ever in a joint naval drill. Our forces come from two fleets -- the North Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet -- and include seven ships, three helicopters and one special warfare unit," said Major General Yang Junfei, the Chinese fleet's commander during this drill and deputy commander of the North Sea Fleet.

The destroyer Shenyang, commissioned in 2006, is one of the most advanced missile destroyers in the PLA Navy's North Sea Fleet. Like its sister ship, the destroyer Shijiazhuang, the Shenyang is capable of regional air defence and has earned its nickname "Ocean Flagship" due to its successful performances in the past drills

Yancheng and Yantai are both the PLA Navy's latest missile frigates. They both possess distinct anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Also joining in the exercise are destroyers Wuhan and Lanzhou, both from the PLA Navy's South Sea Fleet, which belong to the third-generation missile destroyers. Destroyer Wuhan went to the Gulf of Aden in China's first escort mission. Destroyer Lanzhou is nicknamed "Chinese Aegis" for its phased array radar antenna featured on its bridge.

On the Russian side then, the Pacific Fleet's flagship Varyag, the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov and the conventional Kilo-class submarine are among the navy vessels participating in this joint drill. Kilo, renowned for its stealth and silent technology, is often referred to as the "Ocean Blackhole." It will act as the enemy's submarine in an exercise designed to guide a friendly ship through an area facing severe submarine threat. The Joint Sea-2013 drill also marks a rare showing of the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer attack plane.