PLA's "Vanguard-2009A" military drill enters battle practice phase

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has finished battle preparation in the "Vanguard-2009A"military exercise and plans to enter the battle implementation phase on Thursday.

A total of 215 military observers and cadets from more than 70 countries were here to watch the drill, which started on Oct. 12 in central China's Henan province.

Hu Xiubin, general director of the exercise, said battle preparation and implementation in mountainous areas were the two main parts of this drill.

Involving 5,000 soldiers and officers from army and air force and more than 50 kinds of equipment, the drill was also a good chance to improve the firepower coordination between army and air force, he said.

The major force in the drill, an armored brigade of Jinan Military Command, is one of the trump cards of the PLA.

The brigade was listed as one of the key units of the PLA in 1994 and was equipped in 2000 with the army's most advanced tanks at that time.

Source: Xinhua