The anti-aircraft artillery unit of an air defense brigade from the 83rd group army of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently carried out a live fire exercise in a desert in northwest China to test and hone its combat capability in emergencies and extreme conditions.
During the drill, the anti-aircraft artillery unit quickly maneuvered around 500 kilometers to the designated battle area, while several simulated enemy aircraft were taking mountains as cover and flying at ultra-low altitudes to harass the position.
Upon judgment of the situation, the commander decisively ordered the unit to launch take-turns shooting and concentrated firing on the enemy aircraft, successful destroying the first batch of targets.
"During this combat against low and ultra-low targets, the key is to be fast, which not only requires radars to find and identify targets in limited time so that shooters have the best timing, but also requires us the commanders to make faster judgments and decisions," said Li Zijian, an anti-aircraft artillery company commander.
After the first round of attack, the alarm was suddenly sounded as many "enemy" planes were conducting low-altitude penetration against the unit's position. At the very moment, radars malfunctioned.
Through data analysis, radar technicians identified the cause of malfunction and immediately sent operators to examine and repair the facilities, who revived the radar system before the "enemy" planes approached the position. The planes were later shot down. "Such exercises in harsh desert conditions have comprehensively improved the anti-aircraft artillery unit's capabilities for cross-regional, quick response, and high-intensity continuous combats, and tested our strategies and tactics in extreme conditions, laying a solid foundation for fulfilling diverse missions," said Liu Xiaoning, an officer of the brigade.
Chinese anti-aircraft artillery unit conducts live fire exercise in northwestern desert
