BEIJING – Special forces of the Chinese military conducted drills in theregion of Tibet, the state-run media reported on Friday. The drillsincluded ground training for helicopter pilots in order to test theirskills in the high altitude region.
The training simulated a behind-enemy-lines infiltration mission at anelevation of 4,000 metres in Tibet, as reported by the PLA Daily, theofficial state-run media of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). “Pilotsand special forces rappelled down to the ground from helicopters andconducted the mission together,” the report said.Play Video53s
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This is the second military drill highlighted by the Chinese official mediain Tibet over a fortnight. A military expert and TV commentator SongZhongping told state-run Global Times that the latest military exercisesprepared participants for a potential military confrontation with India.
Earlier, on June 29, official media had reported that Chinese militaryunits stationed in Tibet carried out a drill testing armament supportcapabilities as well as military civil integration in the Himalayan regionbordering India.
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China covers 3,488 kmswhich include Arunachal Pradesh, claimed by China as part of southern Tibet.
“It’s normal for any military training to have an imaginary opposingforce,” Song said.
“In this case, it’s obvious who the target is, given the fact that trainingwas conducted on the plateau in Tibet. Infiltrating behind enemy lines was“an effective special operation that could be key to winning a battle. It’svaluable for all forces to practice this kind of training,” Song added.ADVERTISEMENT
Chinese pilots have been practicing joint operations with the specialforces to understand each other need and strengthen battle cooperation, asreported by the PLA daily.
Training along with special forces will also improve pilots’ ability tosurvive out in the wild, Song added.
Military operations in Tibet are difficult because of its high elevation,low atmospheric pressure, thin air and relatively low temperature, he said.
Earlier, official media also reported about China setting up an unmannedautomatic weather observation station in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradeshborder to provide meteorological assistance for its fighter jets andmissile launches.
The observation station with its data can assist aircraft with take-off andlandings, along with the launch of missiles, Chinese experts said.
After President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, military units of China,in general, stepped exercises simulating a real-time battle environment.