The “Vanguard 2009A” air-and-land joint fire striking exercise was concluded at the Queshan Combined Tactics Training Base of the Jinan Military Area Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on October 22. International military cadets and observers from more than 70 countries viewed the exercise.

　　With joint operation under information-based conditions as the background and coordinated application of land and air firepower as the main content, the “Vanguard 2009A” exercise, involving 5,000 officers and men and more than 50 kinds of equipment from the PLA army and the air force, mainly exercised information fire attack, three-dimensional severance of enemy troops in depth and sealed annihilation and area control in sections in mountainous offensive operations.

　　“Through viewing the preparation and implementation of this exercise, I saw the coordination between the PLA artillery troops, the air force aviation troops and services and arms, and also the wonderful actual-troop and actual-combat drill. I am very happy to have the opportunity to take part in this activity,” said an international military cadet from Tunis.

　　Since entering the combat deployment phase of the exercise on October 21, 215 servicemen including instructors and international cadets from the College of Defense Studies of the National Defense University and the Air Force Command College of the PLA as well as military observers from Britain, Israel and Turkey viewed the operational preparation and offensive operation phase of the participating troops.

　　By Zhang Yuqing, Zhao Wei and Wang Lei

 　　Translated by China Military Online