Chinese pilots carry out first cross-border air strike during anti-terror exercise in Kazakhstan

MATYBULAK - Chinese pilots have successfully conducted their first cross-border air strike during the live-ammunition exercises of the Peace Mission 2010 anti-terror drill.

According to the China Daily, defense ministers from four nations, including China and Russia, witnessed the drill, the seventh of its kind under the flag of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

About 5,000 troops took part in the drill in southern Kazakhstan’s Matybulak testing ground, which stretches for 1,600 square kilometers.

Four H-6 bombers and two J-10 fighter jets, the most advanced aircraft manufactured in China, released bombs of several hundred kilograms.

The planes were fueled in the air and guided by Chinese airborne early warning and control aircraft, combat airplanes that combine investigation, communication, command and control functions.

More than 1,600 tanks and armored vehicles, as well as 100 artillery and rocket launchers and about 50 fighter jets and helicopters were involved in the drill.

China sent about 1,000 troops from Beijing Military Area Command, while Russia and Kazakhstan sent roughly 1,000 troops each. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan both dispatched more than 100 troops.

The drill is said to be the largest joint SCO exercise in three years.

Founded in 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The Peace Mission 2010 drill ends today. (ANI)