The Russian Navy and the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) have completed many live-fire drills within the framework of the Joint Sea 2026 exercise, with the focus being on dealing with threats from unmanned aerial vehicles in the Yellow Sea.
The Yellow Sea is the edge of the Pacific Ocean, located between the east coast of China and the Korean peninsula, in the north of the East China Sea. This is an area with an important strategic position in Northeast Asia, where military activities and patrols of many naval forces in the region regularly take place.
According to the announcement of the Russian Pacific Fleet on July 13, warships of the two countries have entered the stage of sea exercises, practicing combat coordination to cope with modern forms of attack.
The Russian Pacific Fleet and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy have practiced measures to respond to modern threats in the Yellow Sea during the maritime exercise phase of the Joint Sea 2026 exercise," the announcement stated.
For many consecutive days, the joint warship fleet of Russia and China has conducted live-fire artillery and machine guns to intercept a simulated attack from unmanned vehicles, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface ships.
In addition to direct firepower, the two sides also deployed electronic warfare systems to suppress large-scale simulated attacks, thereby testing coordination capabilities in modern combat conditions.
According to the Russian Pacific Fleet, sailors also practice many other subjects such as maneuvering formations at sea, anti-submarine warfare, dealing with simulated surface ships of the enemy as well as search and rescue missions.
The Joint Sea 2026 exercise is annually organized by Russia and China to strengthen coordination between the navies of the two countries, while improving the ability to handle combat situations at sea.
Previously, the two sides had deployed many exchange activities at the port, including visiting each other's warships, professional seminars on submarine rescue and friendly sports activities between officers and sailors.
The sea exercise phase is considered the most important part of Joint Sea 2026, with a focus on improving combat coordination capabilities in an environment where more and more unmanned vehicles are appearing on the modern battlefield.
