TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Army Aviation Training Command, an assigned unit of the Aviation and Special Forces Command, recently conducted exercises at its base in Tainan’s Guiren District.

The drill involved daytime and nighttime hot refueling and arming of Apache and Kiowa helicopters, Military News Agency reported. After the helicopters landed without shutting down their engines, ground crew members swiftly refueled the helicopters with a fuel tanker and rearmed the helicopters with 2.75-inch rockets, demonstrating the combat capabilities of the Aviation and Special Forces Command.

The exercise incorporated realistic scenarios to simulate battlefield conditions in order to hone soldiers’ skills and enhance coordination and cooperation between air and ground crews.

The drill comes as China has increased military activities in the region. Beijing has sent 223 military aircraft and 102 naval ships near Taiwan so far this month.

On Wednesday (June 21), the Ministry of National Defense detected China's Shandong aircraft carrier southwest of Taiwan. The ministry said it used joint intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance to assess the situation and also dispatched assets to monitor the carrier group's movements in the Taiwan Strait.