China Held largest Air Force Drill involving 100 Fighter planes

China held one of its largest- ever airforce drill involving about 100 multi-types fighter planes, amid heightened tensions with Japan over territorial dispute in the East China Sea.

The air combat exercises were held under information conditions at an airport in southwest China for 11 days in the month of November 2012 which involved over 100 fighters of over 10 different types and support staff.
In recent days, China is holding multi-military exercises involving land, air and naval forces on variety of locations practicing capturing islands and holding on to them.

Aircraft which took part in the drill came from 14 separate units and included China’s most modern jet fighters, the J-10 and J-11, along with older models and two-seater Sukhoi Su-30s which was purchased from Russia.

The exercises are a clear demonstration of China’s vastly improved military capabilities that have frightened other Asian nations and are encouraging a changed US focus on the region.

China’s navy also for the first time launched and recovered aircraft from the country’s first aircraft carrier, a refurbished Ukrainian craft that will be armed with J-15 fighter-bombers, a Chinese adaptation of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33.