Xinhua reported on May 23 that the Air Force “Hong Jian-2018” system large-scale confrontation exercise commenced on May 23 "in the Northwest Wilderness of China (Western Theatre Command)". This is a large-scale military training activity conducted by PLA Air Force in an all-round advancement of the preparation for the new era of military training.  The 'Hong Jian" exercise is a high-end platform for the training of PLA Air Force system. The PLAAF will extend the "Red Sword" exercise from the air force of the theatre to the air defence base, and build a combat system that is compatible with the mission and capability level of the air defence base. 

"Hong Jian" exercise, as a high-end platform for the training of PLA Air Force system, is an effective way to improve the combat capabilities of the system and is a well-known brand in the field of military training. Focusing on the new system and new mission, PLA Air Force will extend the training subject of the "Red Sword" exercise from the air force of the theatre to the air defence base, and build a combat system that is compatible with the mission and capability level of the air defence base. During the exercise, the Air Force’s two air defence bases played the red and blue sides, with several fighter aircraft, bombers, early-warning aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and other types of nearly 100 fighters and radars, surface-to-air missiles, and dozens of combat forces. The purpose is to explore the command and decision-making capabilities of the air defence base as the battle command centre of the air force. Jing Jianfeng, Director General of Hong Jian Exercise and Deputy Commander of PLAAF’s Unidentified Training Base, said "The exercise is based on a new generation of training laws and regulations, highlights the basic background, highlights the operational guidance, and highlights the accurate assessment."Gu Weiwei is Executive Director of Hong Jian Exercise and Chief of Staff of PLAAF’s unidentified unit. Compared with previous years, this year's "Red Sword" exercise has more complete elements, but the force has been properly "thin" and more emphasis on "precision use of soldiers." For the first time in this exercise, wartime political work was included in the evaluation system, and the contribution rate of political work to combat effectiveness was quantified to truly test the effectiveness of political work. After 18 years of exploration and innovation, the "Red Sword" exercise has played an important role in leading the military to prepare for fighting standards, strengthen the system to defeat the soldiers, deeply study the future mechanism of the war.