A naval aviation regiment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command has staged an air combat drill, with subjects set against real-combat scenarios to test pilots' technical and tactical capabilities.
During the drill, a series of real-combat subjects were carried out in succession, such as air combat maneuvers and air blockade.
Multiple fighter jets took off in turn and headed straight to the mission airspace.
In a simulated dogfight between two units codenamed the "red force" and "blue force" respectively, under the guidance of the ground commanders, pilots of the "red force" constantly adjusted for the proper state to look for the best time and angle to launch attacks, and turned on the airborne radar equipment to quickly search for the combat aircraft of the "blue force", collaborating with the wing planes to cover the assault operations,
After spotting the fighters of the "blue force", the pilots of the "red force" immediately flew at full throttle while coordinating with wing planes to launch a simulated precision strike.
The night flight training also kicked off on the day as evening closed in.
The pilots reviewed and summarized the experience obtained during the daytime drill so as to further hone their flying skills and improve their capabilities through the night training.
PLA navy conducts aviation drill to improve combat capabilities
Floodwaters in Lithia, a severely affected area in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida by Hurricane Milton, have not receded yet even four days after the landfall of the hurricane.
Milton hit the west-central coast of Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday night, bringing strong winds, destructive tornadoes, and heavy rains before weakening to a Category 1 as it swiftly barreled across central Florida.
Lithia, situated southwest of Tampa, bore the brunt of the hurricane as it was right in the the path of Milton.
The heavy rainfall triggered by Milton swelled local rivers, resulting in flooding and the submersion of numerous homes, with many areas in Lithia still drenching in floodwaters.
"Milton came through and wrecked it. The storm didn't do too much of the flooding after the fact. About 12 hours after the storm, the water was in my backyard, didn't think it was going to get much higher 36 hours after the storm. Way better than a lot of people behind me, hopefully they're okay behind. But yeah, I got my neighbors. I think they got probably four or five, maybe six feet of water in the house, that yellow house over there," said Vladimir, a resident affected by the floods in Lithia.
Vladimir also said that they have not received any government assistance so far, with only local community organizations offering some food and water to the affected residents.
In parts of western and central Florida, river levels may continue to rise, with multiple areas still under flood alerts.
Rescue agencies caution that the floods are likely to impede the progress of post-disaster relief efforts. By Sunday afternoon, over 840,000 households in Florida were still without power, with almost 30 percent of gas stations unable to provide fuel.
Milton is the fifth hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast so far in 2024, with three of them striking Florida.
Floodwaters linger in Florida's hard-hit area days after Hurricane Milton's landfall
