The People's Liberation Army has conducted two more military drills in the Yellow Sea region - the second and third in 10 days - in an apparent response to ongoing joint US-South Korea military exercises nearby.
China Central Television's noon news broadcast yesterday said an artillery troop from the Nanjing Military Command's land force had tested a new type of long-distance multi-launch rocket with support from unmanned aircraft, radar and other reconnaissance equipment. The report did not detail the location or date of the drill but said it was taking place near the Yellow Sea.
Also yesterday, Xinhua reported that a military exercise involving rocket tubes, satellite communication vehicles and other facilities had been conducted by the Jinan Military Command in a coastal city on the Shandong Peninsula, which juts into the Yellow Sea.
CCTV's report did not mention the Jinan Military Command exercise. Xinhua's report did not mention the Nanjing Military Command drill.
CCTV said it was the PLA's first long-range rocket drill on such a massive scale. The TV broadcast showed a series of rockets being fired from 12-tube, 300-millimetre multiple-launch rocket systems, believed to be the PHL03 (known as the AR2 in its export version). A voiceover said the weapon played a key role in the army's long-range firepower.
On July 17, the PLA conducted an unprecedented maritime safety emergency drill in the Yellow Sea, based on a scenario that China was engaged in war with other countries.