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Armored vehicles land on beach from an amphibious warship
during the joint drills in Shandong August 23,
2005.(newsphoto) |
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QINGDAO: Amphibious tanks,
armed helicopters and Chinese
and Russian marine corps
braved heavy rain yesterday to launch an amphibious assault in Langyatai,
about 120 kilometres from Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province.
The hour-long drill started with the firing of hundreds of rockets from
12 jet fighters and 12 bombers
taking out "enemy forces" on the beach.
At the same time a fleet of landing
craft, a submarine
hunter and destroyers from the two navies also launched
attacks.
With support from destroyers and armed
helicopters, three Il-76 freighters parachuted in a company of paratroops to join the ground attack.
A special taskforce
choppered in on 18 transport helicopters also took part in the battle.
The live ammunition joint
military manoeuvre climaxed
yesterday when amphibious tanks from both armies rolled out landing ships and made for the beaches.
A company of Russian marine corps with 10 armoured personnel carriers
and one Chinese amphibious battalion of 33 tanks braved strong winds and
high waves to take control of the beachheads.
The amphibious landing was
launched yesterday in adverse weather conditions, with heavy rain and fog.
Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan and his Russian counterpart
Sergei Ivanov watched the drill.
Before the exercise, Cao and Ivanov held talks in Qingdao, during which
they said the joint military drills would improve the strategic
co-operative partnership between the two countries.
Cao said mutual trust in military and security sectors and co-operation
in military training is significant in safeguarding the peace and safety
of the region and the world.
Ministers and vice-ministers of defence from the Shanghai Co-operation
Organization, which groups Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, as well as China and Russia, were also present at the drills.
The amphibious landing was one of three exercises making up the
countries' joint military manoeuvre called "Peace Mission 2005," which
started on August 18 and ends today.
The two armies launched a naval blockade on Tuesday and will launch a
third joint operation today.
Ivanov said in Qingdao on Tuesday that there have been no technical or
operative compatibility problems during the war games, the ITAR-TASS news
agency reported.
"Co-operation with them (Chinese troops) is easier since most of their
weaponry is Soviet and Russian made, but a language barrier exists in
communications," Ivanov was quoted as saying.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-08-25 09:30
