More than 7,000 Chinese and 1,800 Russian troops -- complete with military vessels, fighter jets and amphibious tanks -- will start a three-day live ammunition combat practice tomorrow, according to a senior officer with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The two armies will play out three scenarios: an offshore blockade involving missile-guided destroyers and jet fighters, an amphibious landing conducted by air forces, marine corps and paratroops, and a forced evacuation, with the participation of Russia's strategic bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 and advanced Chinese fighter planes.

On August 14-16, China and Russia held their first joint practice on these three scenarios on Shandong Peninsula and its surrounding waters.

The 8-day joint war game, named "Peace Mission 2005," officially commenced on August 18 and goes through three stages, said Major General Zhang Qinsheng, the Chinese chief of staff of the headquarters of the joint military exercise.

The first stage of the drill, which focused on strategic consultation and decision-making, was held in the Russian far eastern city of Vladivostok. The second phase of the drill started on Saturday in Qingdao, where the headquarters of the exercise is located.

Chinese troops, including land forces, navy fleets, marine corps, air forces and airborne troops, moved to the drill sites in late June and began their individual practices in mid-July.

Russian troops arrived in Shandong Peninsula and its nearby waters on August 9. These included soldiers and officers of the 76th Airborne Division, the 55th Marine Corps Division, air forces and the Pacific Fleet.

Russia's military hardware deployed for the exercise include Il-76 military freighters, Il-78 aerial refueling tanker aircraft, A-50 early warning radar aircraft, the strategic missile carrier Tu-95MS, the long-range bomber Tu-22M3, a frontline Su-24M2 bomber, an air defense interceptor Su-27SM, a large anti-submarine vessel, the Marshal Shaposhnikov, a destroyer, a large landing ship, a rescue towboat, a logistic support vessel and parachute combat cars.

Although PLA officers have not revealed the types of Chinese weapons involved, they said the hardware is "advanced."







(China Daily August 22, 2005)