The PLA has built a new facility to train its new rocket force in various battlefield scenarios. (Photo : REUTERS)
A testing facility was built by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to familiarize its new rocket force in various battlefield scenarios, including extreme weather and strong electronic jamming, China Daily reported.
A statement released by the PLA said that the training base built for the rocket force brigade with short-range ballistic missiles can simulate rain, snow, galeforce winds, fog and lightning, as well as electronic warfare situations.
Senior Colonel Shi Hongyan, commander of the brigade, was quoted in the statement as saying that the training for the missile units must use every means to it as realistic as possible, to enable soldiers to understand the complexities of a real battlefield.
In a footage aired on China Central Television, missile operators and soldiers in protective gears were shown taking part in a biological warfare scenario with a "heavy rain" simulation at the base.
The statement said that the unit has been using simulated launch vehicles and missiles to facilitate training.
The PLA Daily reported last week that another short-range ballistic missile unit conducted live-fire drills in a desert in Northwest China in temperatures as low as -30 C. The report was accompanied by a photo of a DF-15 missile being launched.
Shao Yongling, a professor of military strategy at the PLA Rocket Force Command College, told China Daily that exercise is part of Chinese military effort to ensure that its personnel can perform under any circumstances.
"Rain, snow and the cold do not cause problems to missiles, but lightning does," Shao said. "Normally, operators avoid lightning when they launch missiles. However, we must train our operators in every weather condition, as enemies will not wait for a nice, clear day to strike."
Shao added that electronic jamming would have little effect on ballistic missiles which receive in-flight guidance, and unlike cruise missiles, the parameters for ballistic missiles are preset before launch. She said, however, that command and communications equipment is susceptible to electronic jamming and operators need to participate in the drills to find solutions.
On Dec. 31, President Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, announced the establishment of the PLA Rocket Force, replacing the former Second Artillery Corps, which had managed China's ballistic missiles since the 1960s.
