Chinese forces for 'Peace Mission - 2014' exercise in position

The Chinese troops participating in the "Peace Mission - 2014" joint anti-terrorism military exercise (hereinafter referred to as the exercise) of the armed forces of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states were in position on August 18, 2014, reporters learned from the Chinese campaign headquarter of the exercise.

According to Wang Zhengrong, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Chinese campaign headquarter of the exercise and deputy chief of staff of the PLA Beijing MAC, the Chinese troops participating in the exercise are mainly from the 38th Combined Corps and the air force under the Beijing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) as well as forces directly under the general headquarters/departments of the PLA.

Nearly 5,000 participants from best fighting troops, over 50 aircraft of various types and more than 440 sets of equipment will be mobilized to form up the Army combat group, the Air Force combat group and the strategic and operational support group, Wang added.

The Army combat group includes information-based tanks, infantry combat vehicles, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, anti-aircraft missiles and 26 helicopters of five types. It is the maiden show of the PLA's new tanks, WZ -10 helicopter and WZ -19 helicopter in the exercise.

The Air Force combat group has 23 aircraft of seven types including the type J-10 fighters, the type J-11 fighters, the type JH-7 fighter-bombers, the type KJ-200 early warning planes, the reconnaissance/attack unmanned aerial vehicles and an airborne company.

In addition, forces directly under the PLA general headquarters/departments, including aerospace reconnaissance, mapping and positioning, hydrometeorological and mobile logistics support detachments will participate in the exercise as the "strategic and operational support group" for the first time.

According to reports, the exercise aims to adapt the anti-terror operations to the new information-based conditions and is designed with actual-troop operations in four phases of "battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance", "joint precision strike", "assault outer fortified position" and "urban anti-terrorism mopping-up". The exercise will highlight the joint commanding, joint formation, information-orientation, precision strike, air-ground integration and special force strike.

Previously, the Chinese participating troops conducted single-soldier training, basic training by unit, tactical training of detachment and air-ground coordination training and organized a targeted training with live ammunition and full equipment.