Chinese military tests advanced 055 destroyer Dalian on evacuation mission skills
- Undated exercise by Dalian crew is the first known simulated evacuation by a Type 055 guided-missile destroyer as PLA holds up peacekeeping image
- 96-hour drills test speedy security and identity checks for fleeing nationals as well as command capabilities of first officer
Simulated evacuation procedures carried out by the crew of the Dalian included security and identity checks for Chinese nationals arriving at a foreign port to flee a country at war.
The 96-hour command exercise also assessed Captain Feng Bowen, the first officer of the Dalian, on anti-missile and sea-combat operations. Passing the test could earn Feng a commanding post on the 10,000-tonne large destroyer, according to Monday’s CCTV report.
“For non-war military activities, time is tight, the task is heavy and the seas are unfamiliar,” Feng told CCTV. “Putting these items to the test helps us test our ability to perform diversified military tasks.”
Such training allowed the Chinese navy to carry out more humanitarian work, he said.
CCTV said the simulation exercise tested the crew’s performance under time constraints and logistical challenges during evacuation missions.
The footage suggested the drills were held at the PLA naval base in Zhanjiang, in China’s southern Guangdong province, the headquarters of its South Sea Fleet.
China has been using humanitarian missions such as evacuation and peacekeeping missions to improve the image of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at home as well as overseas. In an English-language promotional video released last year for an international audience, the PLA described itself as a “peace-loving army”.
It was the navy’s third such evacuation mission, after Libya in 2011 and Yemen in 2015 – with both crises triggered by civil war.
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Chinese families reunite in Beijing after being evacuated from conflict-ridden Sudan
Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said evacuating compatriots was compulsory training for the PLA, and Type 055 destroyers were among the naval vessels that would take part in such missions.
“Evacuating nationals is about speed and safety. Whichever ships are close by take on the mission.”
He said there was no fixed formation to be sent on such missions, because the paramount aim was to get to the troubled country quickly.
According to the CCTV report, the Dalian also took part in simulated combat involving early-warning planes, fighter jets and submarines, which saw it sail in formation with the Jiaozuo, a Type 052D multi-role destroyer, and the Liuzhou, a Type 054A frigate.
The PLA Air Force deployed fighter jets to act as a pretend adversary for the Dalian crew, CCTV said.
The Dalian is one of eight Type 055 destroyers in the Chinese naval fleet. The ships, designed for a range of operations including anti-submarine and land attacks, also help to boost the air defence capabilities of aircraft carrier groups.
They can also act as the flagship to command and control other vessels when not escorting a carrier.
