China and Belarus launch Swift Eagle 2026 exercise

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China and Belarus have launched Swift Eagle 2026, the latest iteration of their joint exercise involving special forces and airborne troops. The activity began on Wednesday at a training centre operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLA Air Force), marked by an opening ceremony and the arrival of Belarusian personnel in Hubei province.

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Swift Eagle 2026 joint counter-terrorism training

Counter-terrorism operations in urban areas

The exercise focuses on joint urban counter-terrorism operations. Xinhua News Agency reported that the troops will conduct surveillance and counter-surveillance, target seizure and control, protection, threat elimination and defence tasks. The contingents will also take part in seminars, football matches and cultural exchange activities.

Belarus’s Ministry of Defence stated that personnel from its special operations units reached China after a flight lasting roughly one day. The troops then marched to a PLA airborne forces training range, where they attended the opening ceremony, watched a demonstration of the equipment in use and were issued weapons. The exercise is set to continue almost until the end of August.

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Available information has not yet specified all the assets that will be used by either country. However, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that Belarus could employ its usual model of small-scale, low-altitude airborne operations. In such a case, it could use Il-76 transport aircraft, while China could deploy Y-9 or Y-20 aircraft to drop and deploy troops.

The fourth Swift Eagle exercise

Swift Eagle 2026 is the fourth edition of this joint China-Belarus training activity. Its previous edition took place in 2015, when China sent a PLA Air Force airborne special operations detachment to Belarus to participate in counter-terrorism training. The two countries’ airborne forces had also held joint exercises in 2011 and 2012.

Wang said the training is not a one-way learning process, but rather an opportunity to build a foundation for cooperation and familiarise both contingents with each other’s operational procedures. According to the specialist, airborne troops can be deployed in particular counter-terrorism scenarios, including large-scale operations or situations in which armed groups have occupied urban building complexes.

China-Belarus military cooperation

The resumption of Swift Eagle also broadens the military cooperation mechanisms between the two countries after several years without this activity. According to Xinhua, the training is intended to improve the combat capabilities of the participating units and deepen cooperation between their armed forces. Wang also stressed that international exercises can create a basis for potential joint operations and increase mutual understanding among participating forces.

Images obtained from the Belarusian Ministry of Defence.