China has deployed troops alongside Russian forces for a major multinational military exercise that Moscow says will incorporate lessons from the war in Ukraine, including the growing role of drones, electronic warfare and unmanned ground systems.
The Center-2026 exercise involved more than 47,000 troops in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, with forces from several Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries taking part in the exercises.
The exercises give the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) the opportunity to train alongside Russian forces that have extensive current battlefield experience. At the same time, both militaries can test their ability to coordinate large formations, unmanned systems and precision weapons in a multinational environment.
Chinese and Russian troops train together
The PLA contingent traveled to Russia by road, rail and air and participated in the preparatory phase along with forces from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan.
Chinese troops conducted reconnaissance and target exercises, obstacle breaches, coordinated attacks and medical exercises on the battlefield before the exercise moved into its main operational phase. the South China Morning Post reported.
The live ammunition portion included command and control exercises, followed by multiple operational phases of multi-dimensional reconnaissance, integrated information and firepower strikes, targeting, multi-directional strikes, and rapid pursuit missions.
For Beijing, the exercise also provides an opportunity to test the logistical challenges of transporting troops and equipment into unfamiliar territory while practicing combined arms operations with foreign militaries. Russian media also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin observed exercises at the Chebarkul military training ground on Friday and met foreign military attaches.
Drones and ground robots are the focus
One of the most notable elements of the exercise was the integration of manned and unmanned systems. Chinese media reported that the People’s Liberation Army forces deployed Type 99A main battle tanks in addition to drones, unmanned ground vehicles and helicopters. Drone swarms were used to provide targeting information to ground units, while tactical UAVs, armed helicopters and unmanned ground vehicles coordinated attacks against simulated targets.
The exercise also included multiple waves of attacks against defensive positions, with Chinese military media describing a “small group, multi-wave approach.” Russian media highlighted an even broader collection of technologies, including mass drone operations, counter-drone systems, electronic warfare, precision weapons and mobile strike units. The systems mentioned included Geran-4/5 drones, Zarya laser systems and the Izdeliye 347 missile system.
Chinese media also reported that participating forces were stationed underground during the exercise to protect them from drone attacks. This illustrates how persistent air surveillance and attack drones are changing battlefield operations.
Centre-2026 is the latest in a series of increasingly regular military activities between China and Russia. In June, the two countries conducted their 11th joint strategic air patrol over the Sea of Japan. Their navies then conducted a joint maritime patrol in the Pacific in July, portraying both deployments as efforts to improve interoperability and joint operational capabilities.
