NANNING, July 28 -- The Chinese navy has conducted a mine clearance drill in formation in the South China Sea for the first time, according to a navy's statement.

A maritime garrison command of the Nanhai Fleet on Monday successfully detonated a number of smart mines during the designated time period in a drill.

The garrison command approached the mines in varied formations corresponding to different sailing conditions and ocean currents. After hours of searching, the flotilla discovered a number of smart mines hundreds of meters away, and detonated them upon the commander's order.

Mines are low-cost, destructive and stealthy, and traditional mines have already evolved to smart mines which are capable of picking their own targets by capturing vocal, electronic and magnetic signals.

The Chinese navy is made up of three separate fleets: the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet. Each fleet has its own support bases, flotillas, maritime garrison commands, aviation divisions and marine brigades.