PLA's aircraft carrier conducts joint drill with naval aviation unit

The People's Liberation Army Navy's CNS Shandong aircraft carrier carried out a joint rescue drill with a naval aviation unit recently in the South China Sea, according to the PLA Southern Theater Command.

The command said in a news release on Wednesday that this exercise simulated real battlefield conditions to the greatest extent. Through collaborative coordination among various departments, naval personnel explored how to effectively establish and utilize a search and rescue team, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of joint ship-aircraft search and rescue operations, it noted.

A video footage published along with the release shows that during the drill, a Z-9 utility helicopter searched a dummy and then sent a rescuer to bring it back to the craft.

After landing on the Shandong's deck, medical personnel from the carrier performed first-aid procedures on the dummy, according to the video.

The Shandong — China's second aircraft carrier and the first wholly designed and built in the country — has served more than five years with the South Sea Fleet. It is the largest and most sophisticated naval ship now in active service in any Asian navy.