Exercises Doctrine

A Certain Army Aviation Brigade of the 73rd Group Army Focuses on System-Wide Training (体系练兵) and Builds a Learning and Exchange Platform

第73集团军某陆航旅聚焦体系练兵搭建学习交流平台

PLA Daily (解放军报) 29 June 2026

Summary

An army aviation brigade under the PLA 73rd Group Army has institutionalized a cross-branch education program called the 'Eagle Lecture Hall,' bringing in front-line commanders and technical specialists from Army artillery, Navy, Air Force, and air defense units to deliver structured instruction to helicopter pilots on neighboring-branch equipment, tactics, and coordination procedures. The program directly addresses a documented readiness gap: pilots whose joint exercise tempo has increased but whose knowledge of cross-branch coordination—aerial fire guidance, ship-aircraft linkage, ground-air deconfliction—remained insufficient to translate that exposure into effective combined-arms performance. This fits the broader PLA pattern of using institutional workarounds to close joint operations integration deficits that formal joint training alone has not resolved, and it records the specific friction point at the pilot level: understanding flight mechanics without understanding the system the aircraft operates within.

Translation

A Certain Army Aviation Brigade of the 73rd Group Army Focuses on System-Wide Training (体系练兵) and Builds a Learning and Exchange Platform—— Multi-Branch Backbone Personnel Enter the 'Eagle Lecture Hall'

■ Xiong Zhongda, Shi Zhanyi, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Shi Zhipeng

"For helicopters and air defense forces to conduct coordinated operations, the key is to thoroughly understand the coordination essentials of air defense operations and identify the precise points of tactical coordination and cooperation..." In summer, the 'Eagle Lecture Hall' of a certain army aviation brigade of the 73rd Group Army opened on schedule. A leader from a certain air defense brigade, invited to give the lecture, shared training experience drawing on cross-branch training cases from recent years, covering topics including air defense unit organization and equipment, and ground-air coordinated fire support. The pilots in the audience listened with focused attention, took careful notes, and from time to time raised questions on difficult problems, creating a strong atmosphere of studying and researching for war.

"Having multi-branch backbone personnel enter the 'Eagle Lecture Hall' to give face-to-face instruction, guidance, and discussion is conducive to helping pilots fill in knowledge blind spots (知识盲区) across military branches and services, and to accelerating the brigade's integration into the joint operations system." The brigade's leadership explained that in recent years, the frequency with which the unit has conducted joint exercises and training with neighboring branch and service units has increased steadily, yet some pilots have limited knowledge of other branches and services and insufficient understanding of cross-branch tactics, constraining the effectiveness of joint operations. To address this, the brigade's Party committee conducted in-depth research and analysis, and actively built the 'Eagle Lecture Hall' learning and exchange platform, inviting front-line commanders, technical backbone personnel, and specialist instructors from neighboring Army, Navy, Air Force, and other units to enter the lecture hall and deliver thematic instruction to the brigade's pilots on topics including each branch and service's operational concepts, equipment performance, tactics employment, and coordination procedures.

Instructors adopt a mode of "theoretical explanation + case analysis + interactive discussion + scenario review (场景复盘)" for their lectures, both thoroughly explaining the operational methods and characteristics of their own units and analyzing coordination essentials through training cases, ensuring that pilots can understand, learn, and apply the content, helping them broaden their training horizons and strengthen coordination capabilities.

In the lecture hall, backbone personnel from neighboring branches and services, drawing on the realities of their own combat positions, delivered one substantive system-based combat (体系实战) lesson after another: artillery backbone personnel from a certain brigade drew on joint fire strike cases to explain in detail artillery unit position deployment, fire strike range, and munition coverage characteristics, and answered on the spot pilots' practical difficulties regarding aerial guidance of fire strikes and fire coordination in complex terrain; business backbone personnel from a certain naval unit helped pilots clarify the coordination chain of operations (协同作战链路) through content on ship-aircraft coordinated search and rescue and attack operations... After each lecture, the brigade organized pilots to conduct discussion and exchange in connection with the lecture content, sharing their experiences and identifying gaps in relation to their own combat positions, strengthening joint operations awareness and deepening systems operations thinking (体系作战思维) through joint study and research.

When speaking of the changes brought by the 'Eagle Lecture Hall,' brigade pilot Yang Yi had deep feelings. In the past, when participating in joint training, he focused on aircraft control and had an imprecise grasp of the operational tempo and coordination requirements of ground and maritime neighboring forces, resulting in poor coordination. After participating in the 'Eagle Lecture Hall' multiple times in succession, he developed a systematic understanding of neighboring units' operational methods, and also proactively studied key content such as tactics linkage, coordination communications, and target guidance across branches and services. In one maritime joint training exercise, he flew his aircraft in close coordination with a certain type of naval fast boat, precisely planned a penetration route based on maritime target information transmitted in real time by the fast boat, and ultimately coordinated with maritime fire units to destroy the designated target, with coordination efficiency markedly improved compared to before.

From "understanding flight" to "understanding the system (懂体系)," the upgrade in pilots' capabilities and qualities has brought a leap in system-based combat capability (体系作战能力). In one training exercise, faced with detection by an "enemy" new-type radar, the brigade's mission crew and neighboring units leveraged their coordination advantages, successfully evaded radar detection and reconnaissance using new tactics, and carried out a precise strike against the "enemy" target. The brigade's leadership stated that they will continue to optimize the content of the 'Eagle Lecture Hall,' expand the depth of exchanges, and continuously forge pilots' combat skills, laying a solid capability foundation for carrying out diverse joint combat missions.

Original Chinese

第73集团军某陆航旅聚焦体系练兵搭建学习交流平台—— 多军兵种骨干走进“雄鹰讲堂” ■熊仲达施展奕解放军报特约记者石芝鹏 “直升机与防空力量协同作战，关键要摸透防空作战协同要点，找准战术协同配合的契合点……”夏日，第73集团军某陆航旅“雄鹰讲堂”如期开讲。受邀前来授课的某防空旅领导，结合近年来跨军兵种训练案例，围绕防空部队编制装备、陆空协同火力掩护等内容分享训练经验。台下的飞行员们凝神倾听、认真记录，不时围绕疑难问题提问，谋战研战氛围浓厚。 “多军兵种骨干走进‘雄鹰讲堂’，面对面授课辅导、研讨交流，有利于帮助飞行员补齐跨军兵种知识盲区，推动旅队加速融入联合作战体系。”该旅领导介绍，近年来，部队与友邻军兵种单位开展联演联训的频率越来越高，部分飞行员对其他军兵种知识掌握不多、跨军兵种战法了解不足，制约了联合作战效能发挥。为此，该旅党委深入调研论证，积极搭建“雄鹰讲堂”学习交流平台，邀请陆军、海军、空军等友邻单位的一线指挥员、技术骨干及专业教员走进讲堂，围绕各军兵种部队作战理念、装备性能、战法运用、协同流程等内容，为该旅飞行员开展专题授课。授课人采用“理论讲解+案例剖析+互动研讨+场景复盘”模式进行授课，既讲透所在部队作战方式和特点，又结合训练案例分析协同配合要点，确保飞行员们听得懂、学得会、用得上，帮助他们拓宽练兵视野、强化协同能力。讲堂上，友邻军兵种骨干结合自身战位实际，带来一堂堂干货满满的体系实战课：某旅炮兵骨干结合联合火力打击案例，详细讲解炮兵部队阵地部署、火力打击范围、弹种覆盖特性等，现场解答飞行员提出的空中引导火力打击、复杂地域火力衔接等实操难点；海军某部业务骨干围绕舰机协同搜救、攻击等内容，帮助飞行员厘清协同作战链路……每次授课结束后，该旅组织飞行员联系课堂内容开展研讨交流，结合自身战位谈体会、找差距，在共学共研中强化联合作战意识、深化体系作战思维。说起“雄鹰讲堂”带来的变化，该旅飞行员杨毅感触颇深。以往参加联合训练，他专注于战机操控，对地面、海上友邻力量的作战节奏、协同需求把握不准，协同配合不畅。连续参加多次“雄鹰讲堂”后，他对友邻部队的作战方式有了系统认知，还主动研究其他军兵种战法衔接、协同通信、目标引导等关键内容。在一场海上联合训练中，他驾机与海军某型快艇密切协同，依据快艇实时回传的海上目标信息，精准规划突防航线，最终与海上火力单元协同摧毁预定目标，协同效率较以往明显提升。从“懂飞行”到“懂体系”，飞行员能力素质的升级，带来体系作战能力跃升。一次训练中，面对“敌”新型雷达探测，该旅任务机组与友邻单位发挥协同优势，运用新战法成功规避雷达侦搜，对“敌”目标实施精准打击。该旅领导介绍，他们将持续优化“雄鹰讲堂”内容，拓展交流深度，不断锤炼飞行员作战本领，为遂行多样化联合作战任务筑牢能力根基。