"Stepping Waves to Strike and Train Hard! The Naval Escort Fleet of the Northern Theater Command Conducts Day-and-Night Realistic Combat Training"

Text and images | Wang Guangjie, Ma Guangxing, Wang Zijian

The warships plow through the waves, and smoke rises in the sea area. Recently, a naval frigate formation from the Northern Theater Command has been dispatched to a certain sea area to conduct cross-day-and-night realistic training on joint strikes, comprehensive offense and defense, counter-terrorism, and anti-piracy. This training aims to hone their skills to win in a complex battlefield environment.

Naval formation maneuvering

“Bearing ××, enemy ship detected!” As soon as the formation arrived at the training sea area, alarms suddenly sounded. Each ship quickly occupied its position, and with a command, the main guns fired, and shells whistled out of the barrels, accurately destroying the "enemy" ship target.

Main guns firing

As the smoke from the surface battle lingered, underwater emergencies followed. The sonar station reported detecting an unknown noise signal, and the formation immediately deployed underwater acoustic countermeasure devices to create an underwater barrier, effectively disrupting the "enemy" torpedoes and submarine detection and tracking, successfully escaping the underwater threat.

Combat orders issued from the sonar station

“Port side ×× degrees, an unknown small boat is approaching us at high speed!” The counter-terrorism and anti-piracy exercises continued. After warnings were ineffective, the formation conducted warning shots and then proceeded to boarding and capture, successfully controlling the "suspicious vessel." Meanwhile, the radar station reported multiple drones approaching the formation from different directions. Each ship quickly activated electronic countermeasure devices to suppress and disrupt the drone links, successfully forcing them to lose control and crash into the sea.

Formation conducting warning shots

After days of fierce battles, the dust of war has not yet settled. The officers and soldiers of the formation focused on practical training to identify weak links, listing problems and establishing a rectification ledger. They organized reviews and drills for various emergency scenarios to identify and address gaps. Through this rigorous training, the unit's capability to carry out diverse missions has been further tested and enhanced.