PLA plays to its strengths in war games
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E-mail China Daily, August 14, 2017
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Smoke bombs explode over the Gobi Desert during a Safe Environment event to simulate combat conditions. [Photo/China Daily] |
While the Ground Force may face the hardest task in meeting the troop reduction target, the reform is a historic opportunity, according to Major General Zhang Mingcai, deputy chief of staff for the Ground Force.
"The reform has forced us to be reborn and pushed forward the restructuring process," said Zhang, who was on the judging panel in Korla. "It has greatly helped optimize troop structure and improve weaponry development. Plus, actual combat training has been significantly boosted."
Lu said he has seen obvious changes in training since the reform began. "We now focus on taking down moving targets with live ammunition instead of practicing on fixed targets, as it's a vital skill in actual combat," the gunner said.
Senior Colonel Yang Yong, the Chinese team leader for the Clear Sky event, which tested a military's air defenses, said the window for destroying an airborne missile－or "making it blossom", as gunners say－is between four and six seconds.
"Tough, strict and realistic combat training is the key to winning battles," he said, adding that during air-defense events, teams had to move quickly after firing at each target, which is necessary in a real combat situation to avoid being spotted by the enemy.
No room for error
The Suvorov Attack relay race, one of the most popular events, requires crews to drive infantry fighting vehicles, or IFVs, through obstacle courses featuring mines, fires, waterfilled ditches and antitank trenches, to test their maneuvering skills.
Team members also need to take part in three shooting sessions, which involve quickly loading ammunition onto their vehicles. In this area, the Chinese military greatly impressed their foreign competitors.
"Our routine combat training requires us to be accurate and fast. We just did what we normally do in training," said Private Wang Kunlong, 30, commander of a Chinese-made 86A IFV crew.
The Russian team used its domestically built BMP-2 for the contest, which is seen as superior to China's 86A. "But we made up for it with our driving and shooting skills," said Wang, who has been training with driver Lu Bo and gunner Bao Hongjun for two years. "We're a team, so we can have tacit cooperation in any situation," he added.
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