The Chinese air force has made public for the first time a deployment of advanced fighter jets for a "joint combat patrol" over the disputed South China Sea.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force said in a statement posted late Wednesday to its official microblogging account that it had sent Russian-built Su-35s into the airspace above the strategic waterway, but did not reveal when the patrol took place. The statement included photo and video of the exercises, but did not say how many aircraft participated in the training.
It said the multirole fighter's participation in so-called combat exercises would help strengthen the air force's long-range operational capability, the report said, adding that the air force would continue pushing forward training to improve combat capabilities.