US-China relations: PLA Navy conducts live-fire exercise in East China Sea
- Flotilla from East Sea Fleet was led by Russian-made Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyer, official report says
- Drill ‘laid a solid foundation for winning a battle, while polishing the troops’ combat capability’, it says
The exercise involved a flotilla from the PLA Navy’s East Sea Fleet and simulated a “sudden encounter with the enemy in the air and on the surface”, the navy’s social media platform Naval News said.
The report did not give a precise location or say when the drill took place, but the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said last week that manoeuvres had taken place in the Taiwan Strait, and to the north and south of the self-ruled island.
The PLA flotilla was led by the Hangzhou, a Russian-made Sovremenny-class guided-missile destroyer, according to the report. The Xuzhou, a type 054A guided-missile frigate, was also involved.
The vessels simulated dealing with an attack from anti-ship missiles. This included releasing a smoke cover, taking evasive action, changing formation and firing air defence missiles and close-in weapon system guns.
“The training … laid a solid foundation for winning a battle, while polishing the troops’ combat capability,” the report said.