"When helicopters and air defense forces operate together, the key is to thoroughly understand the coordination points of air defense operations and identify the right fit for tactical coordination..." On a summer day, the "Eagle Lecture" of an Army Aviation Brigade of the 73rd Group Army commenced as scheduled. The invited leader from an air defense brigade shared training experiences based on recent cross-branch training cases, covering topics such as the organization and equipment of air defense units and ground-air coordinated fire cover. The pilots in the audience listened attentively, took notes, and asked questions on difficult issues, creating a strong atmosphere of war study.
"Having backbone personnel from multiple services and branches enter the 'Eagle Lecture' for face-to-face teaching, guidance, and discussion helps pilots fill gaps in cross-branch knowledge and accelerates the brigade's integration into the joint operations system," said a brigade leader. In recent years, the frequency of joint exercises with neighboring services and branches has increased. Some pilots lack knowledge of other branches and understanding of cross-branch tactics, which constrains joint operations effectiveness. To address this, the brigade party committee conducted in-depth research and actively built the "Eagle Lecture" as a learning and exchange platform, inviting frontline commanders, technical experts, and professional instructors from neighboring units of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to give specialized lectures to the brigade's pilots on topics such as operational concepts, equipment performance, tactical applications, and coordination procedures of various services and branches.
The lecturers used a model of "theoretical explanation + case analysis + interactive discussion + scenario review" to teach. They thoroughly explained the operational methods and characteristics of their units and analyzed coordination points with training cases, ensuring pilots could understand, learn, and apply the knowledge, thereby broadening their training horizons and strengthening coordination capabilities.
At the lectures, backbone personnel from neighboring services and branches brought practical system combat lessons based on their own positions. An artillery expert from a certain brigade, using joint fire strike cases, detailed the deployment of artillery positions, firepower coverage, and ammunition characteristics, and answered pilots' questions on practical difficulties such as air-guided fire strikes and fire coordination in complex terrain. A naval business expert helped pilots clarify the joint search and rescue and attack chains of ship-air coordination. After each lecture, the brigade organized pilots to discuss and exchange ideas based on the content, sharing insights and identifying gaps from their own positions, thereby strengthening joint operations awareness and deepening system combat thinking.
Speaking of the changes brought by the "Eagle Lecture", pilot Yang Yi was deeply impressed. Previously, during joint training, he focused on aircraft control but had poor understanding of the operational rhythm and coordination needs of ground and maritime forces, leading to poor coordination. After attending several "Eagle Lecture" sessions, he gained systematic knowledge of neighboring units' operational methods and proactively studied key aspects such as tactical integration, coordination communication, and target guidance with other services. During a maritime joint training, he piloted an aircraft in close coordination with a naval fast boat. Using real-time maritime target information from the boat, he precisely planned an infiltration route and ultimately coordinated with maritime fire units to destroy the target, significantly improving coordination efficiency.
From "understanding flight" to "understanding systems", the upgrade in pilot capabilities has led to a leap in system combat capability. During one training, facing a new type of enemy radar detection, the mission crew and neighboring units leveraged coordination advantages to successfully evade radar search using new tactics and precisely strike enemy targets. The brigade leader stated that they will continue to optimize the content of the "Eagle Lecture", deepen exchanges, and continuously hone pilots' combat skills to build a solid capability foundation for carrying out diverse joint combat missions. (Xiong Zhongda, Shi Zhanyi, Shi Zhipeng)
