Type-055 guided-missile destroyer Wuxi attached to a unit with the navy under the PLA Northern Theater Command steams to the designated sea area during a maritime training exercise recently.Photo:chinamil.com.cn

Warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held an exercise in which they practiced defense against low, slow and small aerial targets, which experts said on Thursday pose a significant threat in modern warfare.

A destroyer detachment affiliated with the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command recently organized multiple types of warships including a Type 055 large destroyer and a Type 052D destroyer to form a group and conducted the first maritime exercise of the year, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

Incorporating some of the latest scientific research achievements, the round-the-clock drill completed combat-oriented special exercises, including live-fire gun shooting, maneuvering in formation and maritime replenishment, CCTV reported.

Upon arriving at the designated mission area, the radar system on board the Type 055 large destroyer Yan'an detected multiple waves of low and slow flying targets approaching. The vessels closely coordinated, changed positions, formed an air defense formation and shot down the targets with close-in weapon systems, the report said.

"Our exercise mainly focused on low, slow and small aerial targets, particularly defense against targets flying close to sea surface," Yan Zhenzhou, a crew member on board the Yan'an, said in the CCTV reported.

Another crew member on board the large destroyer, Zhu Chentian, said that the exercise was confrontational without a preset schedule or scenario, and the warship group had to rely on its own reconnaissance and surveillance equipment in spotting incoming low, slow and small aerial targets, analyze the situation and deal with emergencies.

"For the next step, we will boost cooperation with relevant research teams, and further test the warship group's joint operational capability while building realistic combat scenarios," Zhu said.

Low, slow and small aircraft, often in the form of drones and loitering munitions, have become widely used in recent conflicts around the world, making them some of the most dangerous emerging threats in modern warfare, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Thursday.

Given their nature of being low, slow and small, these kinds of aircraft are difficult to detect by traditional radars, and will be more difficult at sea because of sea clutters and noises, the expert said.

The exercise showed that PLA Navy warships are capable of spotting, tracking and intercepting low, slow and small targets, the expert said.