PLA air force to send H-6K bombers to Int'l Army Games

A PLA airforce Y-9 transport aircraft is seen during a training module in preparation for the International Army Games on July 9, 2018. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force will send H-6K bombers, J-10A fighters, JH-7A fighter-bombers, IL-76 and Y-9 transport aircrafts, and a team of airborne troops to Russia to participate in the International Army Games 2018. It will be the first time that H-6K bombers and Y-9 transport aircraft have gone abroad to take part in military competitions.(Xinhua/Yang Pan)

JINAN, July 12 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force will send H-6K bombers, J-10A fighters, JH-7A fighter-bombers, IL-76 and Y-9 transport aircraft, and a team of airborne troops to Russia to participate in the International Army Games.

The International Army Games 2018, initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defense, will start on July 28. It is co-organized by China, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Iran.

It will be the first time that H-6K bombers and Y-9 transport aircraft have gone abroad to take part in military competitions, a spokesperson for the PLA Air Force said at a press conference.

The H-6K, a domestically-developed intermediate and long-range bomber, has flown over the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait and carried out patrols around the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan since it made its debut in March 2015.

Participation in the International Army Games is an effective way to improve fighting capabilities under real combat conditions, said the PLA air force spokesperson, adding the troops will strengthen military training and war-preparedness to improve their ability to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.