A fighter jet attached to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command soars into the sky during a flight training mission on December 16, 2021. Photo:China Military

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command has recently organized naval aviation force to conduct mock air combat training after midnight, aiming to promote the pilots' ability to quickly enter combat status for abnormal situations at any time.

The drills came amid a possible Taiwan visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had reportedly arrived in Singapore late on Sunday night, with analysts suggesting that the PLA could send warplanes to intercept her plane should she attempt to land in Taiwan.

The Eastern Theater Command also released a video on Monday showing advanced weapons and hot-blooded scenes of its training.

"We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations! We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death," soldiers from the command said in the video.

According to another video clip released by CCTV news on Sunday, the eve of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, several Su-30 fighter jets soared into the sky toward the training airspace after getting through simulated hostile anti-aircraft firepower in low altitude. 

The fighter jets then received a sudden command to enter top combat readiness from training status and to check an unknown air situation. "We used the on-board equipment and technical measures to locate the target and immediately flew toward it to drive it away," said Tang Feilong, a pilot of the naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command.

"Afterwards, we patrolled in assigned airspace, waiting for possible battles, and returned to base after the forces replacing us had arrived," Tang added.

The night time air combat training aims at improving the pilots' full-time combat capacity in future battlefields, noted Han Chengche, a squadron leader of the brigade.

The drills came as Pelosi arrived in Singapore late on Sunday night to begin her Asia trip. Pelosi said on Twitter that she would visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, without mentioning if she would come to Taiwan.

Experts suggest that the PLA should send warplanes to intercept Pelosi's plane if it were to land in Taiwan. Some others said the PLA should surround the island of Taiwan with live-fire military exercises and block Pelosi's plane.