Battleships Riding the Waves and Sharpening Swords at Sea: The Navy's 48th Escort Task Force Conducts Multiple Targeted Training Exercises

Warships Riding the Waves, Sharpening Swords for the High Seas

—— The 48th Naval Escort Task Force Conducts Various Targeted Training Exercises

■ Du Jiangfan Zhang Dong

The task force conducts joint training between ships and aircraft. Photo by Du Jiangfan

Recently, the 48th Naval Escort Task Force conducted several targeted training exercises in a certain area of the Gulf of Aden, effectively enhancing the task force's joint combat and emergency response capabilities.

“Several ‘suspicious small boats’ are approaching me at high speed.” Onboard the Tangshan ship, the urgent battle alarm suddenly sounded.

“Transition to Level One anti-terrorism and anti-piracy deployment.” After the order was given, the Tangshan ship quickly maneuvered to isolate the escorted merchant vessel from the “suspicious small boats,” deterring them from continuing to approach the merchant ship. Meanwhile, special operations team members quickly occupied shooting positions according to combat formations.

As the warning siren sounded, the Tangshan ship used an external loudspeaker and VHF channel 16 to warn the target and fired signal flares to implement a warning and drive away. However, the “suspicious small boats” continued to approach, ignoring the warnings. “Conduct warning shots.” The special operations team members executed precise warning shots at different distances and speeds, creating a barrage on the sea and successfully driving away the “suspicious small boats.”

“The small boats are fast and highly maneuverable. The team must firmly establish practical combat standards during training and respond accordingly.” Captain Ma of the special operations team explained that since undertaking escort missions, the team has regularly conducted training in special shooting, tactical hand signals, small boat climbing, and boarding inspections, continuously improving the special operations members' emergency response capabilities in complex maritime conditions.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the special operations team members quickly boarded the ship's helicopter with weapons and established a watch position at the door, closely monitoring the movements on the sea. They completed tasks such as patrol, covert reconnaissance, and target identification in succession.

As night fell, the training shifted to night takeoff and landing exercises. The ship's surface guide used specialized light signals to relay altitude and speed information in real-time. Inside the cockpit, the pilot closely monitored the instrument parameters, continuously adjusting the flight posture. Ultimately, the helicopter accurately entered the landing approach and smoothly landed on the flight deck of the Tangshan ship.

Flipping through the training schedule of the 48th Escort Task Force, anti-piracy drills, live-fire shooting training, and day-and-night flight training for shipborne helicopters... training subjects followed one after another. The task force commander introduced that while carrying out regular escort missions, they fully utilized the complex maritime environment to organize targeted training closely aligned with escort tasks, continuously honing the task force's ability to perform diverse missions.