Airborne troops from China and Belarus take part in the opening ceremony for the Swift Eagle 2026 joint training exercise at a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force training center on August 12, 2026. Photo: Screenshot from PLA Air Force Sina Weibo account

The Swift Eagle 2026 joint training for airborne troops from China and Belarus commenced on Wednesday with an opening ceremony at a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force training center, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Focusing on "joint counter-terrorism operations in urban terrain," the training will focus on subjects such as surveillance and counter-surveillance, seizure-and-control and protection, and elimination and defense, Xinhua reported.

In addition, the two sides will organize seminars, friendly football matches and cultural exchange activities during the joint training, said the report.

As the fourth iteration, the joint training will help enhance the combat capabilities of the participating troops and deepen substantive cooperation between the two militaries, said Xinhua.

While details on the equipment deployed by both sides have not yet been disclosed, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Thursday that Belarus is likely to follow its traditional practices, focusing on low-altitude small-scale airborne operations, possibly using Il-76 large transport aircraft, while China may deploy Y-9 or Y-20 transport aircraft for low-altitude delivery.

The joint training is not a one-way learning exercise, but rather a process of building a cooperative foundation and familiarizing both sides with each other's operational habits in the counter-terrorism domain, Wang said.

While China has made significant progress in counter-terrorism and maintaining stability in recent years, the expert said, airborne troops have been rarely used in counter-terrorism operations, as local police and armed police forces are generally sufficient to handle such situations.

Airborne troops are better suited for special counter-terrorism scenarios, such as large-scale counter-terrorism operations or cases where terrorists have occupied urban building complexes and need to be forcibly removed. This joint training likely simulates such scenarios, Wang said.

The previous iteration of the Swift Eagle series airborne joint counter-terrorism training between China and Belarus took place in 2015.

In June 2015, a PLA Air Force spokesperson announced that China had dispatched an airborne special operations detachment to Belarus to participate in the Swift Eagle 2015 joint counter-terrorism training. 

According to China Military Online, the training followed the 2011 and 2012 joint exercises between the two countries' airborne forces, again focusing on joint counter-terrorism operations.

The spokesperson noted that Belarus is a traditional friendly country to China. 

Conducting joint airborne training with Belarus helps consolidate traditional bilateral friendship, deepen practical exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Wang noted that Belarus, located to China's west, and China share a common long-term interest in discussing counter-terrorism. 

After a hiatus of several years, the resumption of the Swift Eagle joint training provides an opportunity to promote in-depth cooperation in defense and mutual trust, serving as a point of common interest for both sides.

Wang noted that the PLA's domestic training exercises have undergone profound changes in recent years.

For example, the documentary series Zhìshèng (Victory) broadcast in early August, showed training conducted with a no-script model, with both sides engaging in free-form confrontations and evaluating results based on actual combat performance, promoting the integration of personnel and equipment systems to generate new operational capabilities. This model has already produced notable results.

More broadly, Wang said, recent joint exercises between the PLA Air Force and foreign militaries have yielded multiple benefits, primarily on two levels. 

First, they lay the groundwork for potential future joint operations, whether in counter-terrorism, maintaining stability or major international security issues, as mutual familiarity is essential for effective cooperation.

Second, joint exercises themselves contribute to regional stability. When friendly countries in the region reach consensus on security issues and conduct regular military cooperation, it has a stabilizing effect on regional security. 

Overall, the PLA is building a more open and flexible military cooperation framework through both enhanced domestic combat-oriented training and expanded international joint exercises, Wang said.