TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwanese Army recently carried out a nighttime live-fire exercise on Taiwan’s outlying island of Matsu.

The Army on Tuesday (June 29) posted photos of the drills on their Facebook page and stated that the Matsu Defense Command had held a Yuntai exercise to demonstrate soldiers’ combat strength and defense capabilities.

Army CM-21 armored vehicles sped to tactical positions on the streets of Matsu, and participating troops were armed with .50 caliber machine guns. They then simultaneously fired their weapons into the ocean, letting loose a torrent of bullets, CNA reported.

Routine Yuntai drills test light and heavy weapons deployed on Taiwan’s outer islands and simulate an attack on Taiwan, per CNA. In April, Minister of Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) paid a visit to the Dongyin Area Command and the Matsu Defense Command to conduct inspections, learn about the island’s defenses, and offer guidance to officers and soldiers stationed there.