China shows new Z-10 & Z-19 helicopters and Type 99 MBT at international military exercises 2908142.

Defence & Security News - China

Troops from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan participated in the anti-terrorism drill, including ground and air forces, special operations and airborne troops and others tasked with electronic countermeasures, reconnaissance, mapping and positioning.

The exercise at Zhurihe, China's largest and most modern training base in the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia, was the culmination of a week of joint training under a regional grouping known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

During the first stage of the exercise, the united SCO forces used electronic countermeasures against the simulated enemy’s communication systems. After the reconnaissance mission, Russian and Chinese air forces carried out attacks on terrorists. Then, artillery destroyed the command centers of the enemy.

The website of the Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper said the latest versions of the Type 99 main battle tank and the Z-10 and Z-19 attack helicopters were taking part for the first time in multinational exercises, in which actual ammunition was being used.

China's air force earlier announced it had deployed a new type of armed drone in the exercises, and that it had carried out a successful missile attack on a command vehicle.

The drone, which wasn't further identified, is capable of monitoring, identifying and destroying objects in real time, making it an important tool in fighting terrorists, air force spokesman Shen Jinke was quoted as saying.

Once heavily dependent on Russia for sophisticated weaponry, China has made huge advances in developing its own weapons systems, many of them variations of foreign models. The Z-10 and Z-19 are based on the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, while the earliest version of the Type 99 was a variant of the former Soviet T-72.