The 31st Combined Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted 3D landing and assault drills with 550-tonne «Bizon» hovercraft in a sea area in south east China with the troops mixed into composite battalions.
The «Bizon» is a Zubr-class of air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) made in Ukraine at Feodosia Shipbuilding Company. In 2009, China placed an order for four vessels from Ukraine as part of a deal worth 315 million USD. Two updated versions of the vessels will be built at Crimea’s Feodosia Shipbuilding Company followed by two advanced models of the surface warship.
The composite battalion is the basic combat strength module of the PLA Army. In accordance with operational capability and mission requirements, troops from more than 10 kinds of arms including infantry, armored force, artillery force, special operations force, army aviation force and electronic warfare force were grouped into composite battalions undertaking different tasks such as target seize and control, fire assault and sabotage operations. These combat modules are more flexible, adaptive and greater assault strength.
Chen Xiaoming, commander of a regiment, the 31st Combined Corps, said that in the exercise, operations of composite battalions were conducted with support of the joint operations system. The purpose of the drill is to comprehensively test and enhance the combat capabilities of the troops in mobile and three-dimensional offensive and defensive operations
