TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Army kicked off its annual Shen Ying missile live-fire exercise in southern Taiwan on Wednesday.

Personnel from the Army Aviation's 601st and 602nd Brigades and the Army Aviation Training Command participated in the exercise, Military News Agency reported. 

AH-64E Apache, AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters, and OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters were all armed with Hellfire missiles and launched live-fire strikes against targets out at sea. The exercise aimed to verify the effectiveness of training and how quickly troops could adapt to changing conditions on the battlefield.

Once the sun set, pilots used night vision to lock onto maritime targets. Afterward, they deployed flares and executed tactical evasion maneuvers. The night live-fire exercise enhanced pilots’ combat readiness and demonstrated the Army Aviation’s all-weather and night operations capabilities, per MNA.

The Shen Yin exercise trains pilots to make decisions on their own based on different scenarios and tests their target acquisition skills. It also strengthens the Army’s operational procedures and boosts overall combat capability.