It was an August night in the desert.
Jets soared above. Several minutes later, a level-one alarm rang out. Soldiers of a missile unit scrambled to their positions. With radars whirling, missiles were launched.
There was no sound in the command vehicle. Streams of data kept updating the situation map. A battle between forces was about to unfold.
Commander Li Qinglei stared at the monitor.
A voice broke the silence: “Target found!” But the target soon disappeared.
“Target gone. Initial evaluation: a jet attempting low altitude penetration.”
“Keep searching. Use anti-interference.”
The target reappeared with the anti-interference measures.
“Target nearing.”
“Fire!”
The jet fled after a missile was launched.
The command vehicle fell silent again. Everyone knew another skirmish was imminent.
Training battles between air and missile forces are becoming evermore realistic. The times and places are unknown. The capabilities to detect, track and strike targets have been greatly improved. “A month-long exercise equals several years of training. The combat is so real. Soldiers learn much quicker how to prepare for important tasks,” said command vehicle technician Zhu Paiwu.
