China to conduct massive 30,000-troop military drill

China to conduct massive 30,000-troop military drill

2010-10-09 20:57:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

BEIJING (BNO NEWS) -- China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) will start a massive military exercise on Sunday to test and improve the force's combat capability in high-tech warfare, sources from China's Central Military Commission told the state-run Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

Xinhua reported that the exercise will involve around 30,000 soldiers from three divisions across three of China's seven military area commands and include military transport planes, fighter jets and attack helicopters.

The drill, which will include infantry forces, paratroopers and air forces, will center around battle scenarios in a "complex information environment" as well as across different terrains and weather conditions, Xinhua added.

Additionally, the exercise will also include long-distance mobilization of ground and air forces and test their coordination in defense and striking military targets.

During the drill, the PLA will reportedly mobilize civilian passenger aircraft as well as cargo planes to transport soldiers and military equipment. It was not immediately clear how long the drill would last.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-09