Chinese participants are trial driving the BTR-82A wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC). (Photo by Xiao Yongli)
By Xiao Yongli, Yao Guanchen and Zhang Chuanguo
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Aug. 18 -- On the morning of August17, participating teams from China, Iran, Venezuela and other countries for the "Seaborne Assault" event of the International Army Games (IAG) 2021 received the BTR-82A wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC) provided by the Russian Navy and previewed the relay race track. On the afternoon, the Russian side gave a lecture on safety precautions of the event.
The IAG 2021 will be held from August 22 to September 4 as scheduled. This Seaborne Assault event consists of three phases, namely relay, obstacle course and survival path. According to the arrangement, all the weapons and equipment involved in the event will be provided by Russia, namely，light weapons such as 5.45mm AK-74 assault rifles, 7.62mm SVDS sniper rifles, 5.45mm RPK-74M squad automatic machine guns and 40mm RPG-7 anti-tank rocket launchers, and major vehicles such as BTR-82A wheeled APCs.
On August 16, after the handover of light weapons and equipment was finished, the Russian side organized the participants to have a detailed study on the rules and procedures of the competition and an on-site survey on the competition zone.
According to Zhang Zhijun, head instructor of the Chinese team for the Seaborne Assault, multiple rules have been adjusted in this year’s competition. For example, the relay race has been extended from 4 km as originally announced to 9 km, and the survival path has become a contest among 24-person platoons instead of 8-person squads, with an extended route from 2 km to 4.2 km, in addition, the contest will take place in coastal and mountainous terrain, featuring a tortuous and extremely steep track, which will be a test for the participants' physical and psychological qualities.
It is learned that in the next few days, the Chinese team will familiarize itself with the weapons and equipment, study the rules of the competition, and carry out adaptive training on the spot, sparing no effort to get well prepared for the event.
Chinese participants are measuring the front of the mock building on the spot. (Photo by Xiao Yongli)
