BEIJING — China is showing off the growing sophistication of its defense industries by featuring its newest attack helicopters and main battle tanks at a multinational live-firing military exercise in the country's north.
State media said the new hardware performed to expectations in Friday's "Peace Mission-2014" drill featuring more than 7,000 personnel from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The exercise is the culmination of a week of joint training under the auspices of a regional grouping known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The website of the Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper said the latest version of the Type 99 main battle tank and the Z-10 and Z-19 attack helicopters were taking part for the first time in multinational exercises, in which actual ammunition was being used.
The following images from the drills were released by state news outfit Xinhua:
Text and report from the Associated Press