18 surface ships, 1 submarine, 3 airplanes, 5 ship-launched helicopters, and 2 commando units are taking place in the "Joint Sea - 2013" exercises that run all through July 12.
The primary goal of the exercise is to cover anti-submarine warfare, and simulated take-over of enemy ships.
This drill is bigger than what China's navy has held ever before with foreign navies. China Navy is providing 4 destroyers, 2 latest-generation guided missile frigates, 1 support ship. They all sailed out of Qingdao on Monday, to rendezvous at Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok. Qingdao is the base for the Northern Fleet Command of Chinese Navy.
Rear Admiral Yang Junfei calls this their "strongest line-up ever in a joint naval drill."
China has been a long term customer for Russian military hardware. After this exercise they plan on going by a another round of anti-terrorism join drills in the Russia's Ural Mountain region of Chelyabinsk from July 27 to August 15.
