Key facts
- CCTV reported the 75th Group Army brigade made counter-drone training compulsory for all infantry, not only drone operators.
- The brigade issued training guidance manuals and case compilations and added drone scenarios to exercise plans, per CCTV.
- The unit is building a counter-drone operations center and drone simulation rooms for each battalion, CCTV reported.
- CCTV said a battalion exercise failure followed the use of heat-sensing drones that spotted camouflaged troops and directed artillery.
A brigade of the People's Liberation Army's 75th Group Army has made counter-drone training a required subject for all infantry soldiers, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on November 9, 2026. The report said the change followed an exercise in which a mountain infantry battalion relied on forest cover and camouflage and was then struck by artillery directed by heat-sensing drones.
The brigade compiled counter-drone training manuals and case compilations and distributed them to its units, according to CCTV. It also adjusted exercise plans to include drone scenarios and required infantry squads to master observation, early warning and shooting responses to drones.
CCTV reported the brigade is building a counter-drone operations center and drone simulation training rooms for its battalions. It said an instructor identified as Ying, who arrived at the battalion from brigade headquarters in March, failed an initial test on using a drone jamming gun and later passed a brigade spot check.
The report described a later battalion exercise in which a commander identified as Chang was judged killed and Ying took over, directing company fire against a low-flying drone formation. A brigade leader said the training had produced several manned-unmanned cooperative tactics and shortened fire response times, according to CCTV.