Live-fire drill a sight to behold

Can you imagine what it looks like when guns shoot 4,000 bullets in one second?

I mean, my dad bought me gun toys when I was little and I have seen Star Wars movies, but watching real guns and artillery firing from a missile destroyer in a military exercise still blew my mind.

Red flame tongues spurted out of gun muzzles, big metal shells dropped on deck and the parachute targets fell apart in the air on impact.

The whole scene happened in a few minutes during a live-ammunition drill in the China-Russia "Joint Sea 2013" naval exercise on Wednesday.

Tuesday's mist was gone and sunshine twinkled on the ocean surface, dazzling the sailors on deck.

About a kilometer from the right gunwale of the missile destroyer Shijiazhuang, the Russian cruiser Varyag used by the reviewing troops was moving forward at a relaxing speed.

"Guys, are you ready to do some hunting?" the Shijiazhuang's Captain Xu Fang said as he walked into the navigation room. Everyone was busy checking equipment and doing last minute preparations.

"Let's kick some ass," he said, before clapping his hands and putting a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

Around 2 pm, a Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft flew into the air defense zone over the combined flotilla and dropped targets of two parachute bags from 4,000 meters.

The parachutes trailed signal flares that glittered provocatively above them.

After identifying the target, the previously statuelike main battery quickly turned and its muzzle was raised.

"Fire!" came an order from the captain's intercom, quickly spreading to all concerned.

The main battery, silent a moment before, roared out its first shot.

It was a heavy blow, swift but powerful, like someone hammering a stone wall with an iron ball. Flames spouted from the muzzle about one meter high.

The secondary armament, fired differently. Located on the left and right side of the upper deck, the secondary guns shot at a speed of 4,000 shots per second.

The rapid and intensive barrage sounded like a million horses galloping. The ship trembled with its rhythm.

"The bullets will form a net as the gun set spins while firing, making the target difficult to miss," said Kang Zhichao, who is controller of the main battery of the Shijiazhuang.

Everybody in the navigation room gazed at the targets anxiously amid the noise, holding their breath. The clock was ticking.

"We hit it! We hit it!" a sailor with good eyesight exclaimed, as he pointed at the target, which had caught fire and was starting to disintegrate in the sky.

Laughter and applause immediately filled the room. Mission completed, a delighted Xu high-fived everyone in the room.

Contact the writer at puzhendong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/11/2013 page11)