Chinese military aircraft patrol South China Sea

Beijing, Aug 6 (IANS) Chinese Air Force aircraft, including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighters, completed a patrol of the airspace above the Nansha and Huangyan islands in the South China Sea, an official said on Saturday.

The flight was part of actual combat training to improve the air force's response to security threats, Xinhua news agency quoted Senior Colonel Shen Jinke of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force as saying.

Several types of planes -- bombers, fighters, airborne early warning aircraft, reconnaissance and tanker airplanes -- performed the patrol, he said.

The aircraft had a series of training missions, including air defence early warning manoeuvres, air combat and island patrolling in a complicated electromagnetic environment, he added.

The PLA air force, which was established 67 years ago, organises regular South China Sea patrols to safeguard state sovereignty, security and maritime interests, Shen said.