The Chinese and Thai Air Forces training exercise, the “Falcon Strike“, had to be moved, after some complaints.
“The t exercise will be held at Nam Pong Air Base, Khon Khaen Province, for the next two years”, said an Air Force official, who preferred to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak to foreign media.
According to some sources in Thailand, the reason for the change of location is quite simple: Residents complained about the noise of aircraft around Udon Thani. The complaints led to a break in work last Thursday (18), with a resumption of flights elsewhere on Friday (19).
In total, 18 aircraft are participating in training twice a day and are "making a lot of noise", said the unnamed air force official.
The training, which began last Sunday (14), is expected to last 10 days and, according to Chinese experts, reflects the deepening of military exchanges and mutual trust between the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) and the RTAF. China's Ministry of Defense points out that the Falcon Strike 2022 will be focused on air , ground assault and force operation.
Thailand has provided five JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets, three AlphaJet attack jets and a Saab 340 AEW&C early warning turboprop for training with the Chinese.
China, on the other hand, is expected to deploy six J-10C/S fighters, a JH-7 and a KJ-500 alert and control, as well as a destroyer. What is new is the presence of the JH-7 in the Falcon Strike, a fighter-bomber capable of carrying up to 9 tons of armament and with a combat radius of 1500 kilometers.
Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the military exercise is one of the few large-scale t exercises in the two countries' history, with complex training matters and complete military equipment.
Song said that in the past, there have been more confrontational exercises between China and Thailand involving mainly the Air Force rather than integrated air-ground exercises.
As Thailand mainly buys weapons and equipment from the West and adopts Western training methods, the exercises would help China gain a deeper understanding of the performance of Western weaponry equipment and tactics, Song said.
