U.S. Marines Train with Chinese Fighter Jet Mock-ups

A video has emerged of the US Marines conducting drone training alongside mock-ups of Chinese J-20 and J-7 fighter jets.

The exercises were part of training with the R80D SkyRaider unmanned air system near the Atlantic Marine Range in North Carolina. The vide was released by the Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

Marines from the Strategic Unmanned Aircraft Systems Support Squadron (SUASS), 2nd Air Defense Low Altitude Battalion (LAAD), 167th Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA), and 223rd Marine Strike Squadron (VMA) were participating in the exercise.

Their task during the exercises was to evaluate the effectiveness and practical use of unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with the advanced Silvus Technologies data transfer system.

Given the units involved in the exercise, these layouts could have been used to conduct target identification exercises.

The inclusion of Chinese fighters is an indication of the strategic importance given by the US Marines to possible future encounters with China.

While the Chinese PLA air force has retired the J-7, a MiG-21 clone, the J-20 stealth jet is its leading fighter aircraft and extensively deployed.