Exercises Modernization

A Naval Unit Conducts Combat-Realistic Training Together with Neighboring Units

海军某部携手友邻单位开展实战化训练

PLA Daily (解放军报) 13 August 2026

Summary

A PLA naval aviation unit — unit designation not provided — conducted combined sea-air coordination training with neighboring surface vessel units, running a scenario built around an unidentified maritime target with deliberately ambiguous and deceptive signal characteristics, including live electromagnetic jamming that blacked out the aircraft's radar. The exercise centered on two specific deficiencies the unit's leadership named explicitly: breaking aircrew reliance on fixed thinking (固化思维) in intelligence assessment and executing the closed-loop sequence of detect-identify-jam-lock under electromagnetic interference through a self-developed tactic of layered jamming suppression and cross-validation (分层抗扰、交叉验证). The article documents a unit-level effort to address coordination shortfalls between naval aviation and surface forces under degraded electromagnetic conditions, fitting the broader PLA pattern of system-of-systems training (体系练) but offering no evidence of scale, geographic location, or whether the tactics described have been validated above the unit level.

Translation

A Naval Unit Conducts Combat-Realistic Training Together with Neighboring Units — Sea-Air Coordination Pierces the "Fog"

■ Zhou Jingjie, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Hao Yongfei, Sheng Xia

In the height of summer, under a scorching sun, a warplane from a naval unit roared into the sky and headed for a designated airspace, joining neighboring surface vessel units in combined combat-realistic coordination training.

The unit's leadership introduced that, for this training exercise, they configured a scenario of "questionable target characteristics," requiring the aircrew and neighboring surface vessels to work in close coordination to conduct full-element, multi-dimensional precise verification and identification of an unidentified maritime target, in order to test and improve intelligence assessment and special-situation handling capabilities (特情处置能力) under sea-air coordination.

"Suspicious target signal detected!" After the aircraft reached cruising altitude, the aircrew's radar operator sharply picked up an anomalous signal.

"Cross-referencing the exercise-control intelligence and the recent characteristics of the 'enemy situation' — do the signal characteristics fully match?" The airborne commander did not rush to issue a handling order, but instead guided the officers and soldiers to break out of fixed thinking (固化思维) and conduct their own assessment. The aircrew, drawing on experience accumulated through daily training and reconnaissance information simultaneously fed back by the neighboring surface vessels, rapidly exchanged views and conducted multi-dimensional cross-validation.

After thorough assessment, they reached a conclusion: the target's actual characteristics differed from the vague intelligence leads initially provided by the exercise-control group, and it was likely a "deceptive signal" deliberately planted by the exercise-control group. The aircrew then simultaneously transmitted the verification results and detailed target characteristics to the neighboring surface vessels, buying valuable time for optimizing subsequent operational deployment.

"Rapid and precise assessment of intelligence information is an important component of our targeted effort to make up for coordination shortfalls and improve combat capability," the unit's leadership explained. In recent years, they have adhered to the training philosophy of "battles must be fought jointly, troops must be trained as a system (仗要联合打，兵要体系练)," focused on the pain points and difficulties in coordination training, drawn on successful experience accumulated through routine exercises and training, and explored and refined methods and approaches for conducting coordination training with neighboring surface vessel units and fighter aviation units, driving continuous improvement in training quality and effectiveness.

The battlefield situation changes in an instant. Just as the neighboring surface vessel units were adjusting their deployment and tightening their defensive posture, the real "enemy" target suddenly released powerful electromagnetic jamming, and the aircraft's radar screen instantly turned to "static," causing the atmosphere in the cockpit to grow sharply tense.

"Activate anti-jamming mode!" the airborne commander ordered decisively. Officers and soldiers at every station worked in close coordination with precise operation, employing the tactical method of "layered jamming suppression and cross-validation (分层抗扰、交叉验证)" that they had developed through independent exploration. Combined with real-time intelligence fed back by the neighboring surface vessels' radar, they conducted multi-dimensional comparison and multi-source corroboration, rapidly completing the closed-loop handling sequence of "detect — identify — jam — lock on," piercing the "fog of war (战场迷雾)," successfully acquiring the "enemy" main-force target, and simulating an intercept action.

When training concluded, an after-action review immediately commenced. The participating officers and soldiers engaged in in-depth discussion of problems in the areas of tactical method application, coordination, and emergency response, and formulated corrective measures one by one, laying a solid foundation for improving training in the next phase.

Original Chinese

海军某部携手友邻单位开展实战化训练—— 海空协同破“迷雾” ■周靖捷解放军报特约通讯员郝勇飞盛夏时节，烈日炙烤。海军某部一架战机呼啸升空，奔赴预定空域，与友邻舰艇部队携手开展实战化协同训练。该部领导介绍，此次训练，他们设置“目标特征存疑”训练场景，要求机组与友邻舰艇密切协同，对海上不明目标展开全要素、多维度的精准查证识别，检验提升海空协同下的情报研判与特情处置能力。 “发现可疑目标信号！”战机到达巡航高度后，机组雷达员敏锐捕捉到异常信号。 “结合导调情报和近期‘敌情’特点，信号特征是否完全匹配？”空中指挥长并未急于下达处置指令，而是引导官兵跳出固化思维展开研判。机组官兵结合日常训练积累的经验及友邻舰艇同步反馈的侦察信息，快速交换意见、多维交叉验证。经过深入研判，他们得出结论：该目标实际特征与导调组最初提供的模糊情报线索存在差异，应为导调组刻意设置的“迷惑性信号”。随后，机组将查证结果、目标详细特征同步推送至友邻舰艇，为后续作战部署优化争取宝贵时间。 “快速精准研判情报信息，是我们针对性补齐协同短板、提升实战能力的重要一环。”该部领导介绍，近年来，他们坚持“仗要联合打，兵要体系练”的训练理念，聚焦协同训练中的痛点难点，结合日常演训积累的成功经验，探索优化与友邻舰艇、歼击机部队开展协同训练的方法路径，推动训练质效持续提升。战场态势瞬息万变。就在友邻舰艇部队调整部署、严密布防之际，真正的“敌”目标突然释放强电磁干扰，战机雷达屏幕瞬间“一片雪花”，座舱内的气氛骤然紧张。 “启动抗干扰模式！”空中指挥长果断下令。各战位官兵密切配合、精准操作，运用自主摸索的“分层抗扰、交叉验证”战法，结合友邻舰艇雷达反馈的实时情报，多维比对、多源印证，迅速完成“侦测—识别—干扰—锁定”的闭环处置，破除了“战场迷雾”，成功捕获“敌”主力目标，并模拟实施拦截行动。训练结束，复盘随即展开。参训官兵围绕战法运用、协同配合、应急处置等方面存在的问题展开深入讨论，逐一制订整改方案，为下一步改进训练打下坚实基础。