National News Desk
Islamabad:
China dispatched fighter aircraft and troops to a Pakistani airbase near the Gujarat border to participate in the latest edition of the bilateral military exercise, the Chinese military announced on Monday evening, adding that the air force drill was intended to enhance the “actual combat training” of the two armies.
“The Chinese air force’s troops set off on December 7 for the Pakistani Air Force’s air base in Bholari at Thatta District in Sindh, northeast of Pakistan’s Karachi to participate in the China-Pakistan Joint Air Force Exercise Shaheen (Eagle) – IX,” a statement put out by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said.
The brief Chinese statement on Shaheen-IX did not give details of the deployment of PLA Air Force (PLAAF) for the exercise with Pakistan, but said it will conclude in late December.
“The joint air force exercise, which will conclude in late December, is a project within the 2020 cooperation plan of the two militaries,” it said.
“It will promote the development of China-Pakistan mil-to-mil relationships, deepen practical cooperation between the two air forces and improve the actual-combat training level of the two sides,” the statement added.
The last edition of the Shaheen drill, which was held in China’s Xinjiang in September 2019, was the largest with nearly 50 warplanes from the two countries taking part in it.
Twitter handle @detresfa, a satellite imagery expert, tweeted Monday evening that …a “#China AirForce (PLAAF) Y20 Heavy lift plane was spotted descending into #Pakistan near Bholari Airbase, along with it was spotted another unknown aircraft (suspected PLAAF) following the same route Aircraft are suspected to be in support of a joint exercise”
State media announced last week that a large number of Chinese fighter aircraft have recently carried out a series of intense exercises around the Western Theater Command – which manages China’s contested border with India – the Air Force Base, which is located at an important strategic point in northwest China. “The drills have deepened and demonstrated the ability of the Chinese military to protect the western border of air defence,” the state media article said.
The Bholari airbase of the Pakistan Air Force was inaugurated in December 2017.
Calling the Bholari project one of “strategic importance,” Pakistan Air Force Chief Sohail Aman said In fact, PAF Base Bholari is a strategically significant project to enhance Pakistan Air Force capacity both overland and offshore.”
In the last edition of the Shaheen exercise held in Xinjiang close to the LAC, dozens of fighter aircraft from the two countries had taken part in mock battles, the PLA Air Force statement had then said.