Drone used for first time in joint drill

An unmanned aerial vehicle has been used to destroy an "enemy" command vehicle with a missile during an exercise in Zhurihe in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

It was the first time a Chinese reconnaissance and strike drone had been used in an international joint military drill, Chinese Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke said on Tuesday.

The UAV was deployed during Peace Mission-2014, an anti-terrorist exercise involving troops from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The drone could be used for a variety of tasks, such as surveillance, reconnaissance and ground attack, Shen said.

"The Chinese Air Force will play an even more important role in future wars against terrorism with this type of reconnaissance and strike UAV."

Feng Aiwang, the air force commander at Peace Mission-2014, said the drone had proved highly effective.

Some 70 aircraft from China, Russia and Kazakhstan are taking part in the exercise.

"We will coordinate carefully in order to achieve the goals of the drill," Feng said.