Commitment key to HK garrison's success(4)

Special: 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Return to The Motherland

Equipment upgrades

In addition to shooting, driving armored cars is one of the most important skills members of the armored infantry have to master.

Yu Chenxi, a soldier with the company, and her teammates practiced turning the steering wheel on a simulator. Meanwhile, to improve their physical strength, they overturned a 250-kilogram tire no fewer than 20 times a day for weeks.

In the tests that followed, armored fighting vehicles driven by the company's soldiers easily passed through various obstacles.

As military technology has developed rapidly over the years, the company's equipment has been upgraded. However, the problem the soldiers face is how to familiarize themselves with the advanced equipment as quickly as possible.

In December, the company was equipped with a new type of infantry combat vehicle. Sitting inside the vehicles and touching the brand-new dashboards, the soldiers said they were overwhelmed with joy and excitement.

However, they discovered that the new vehicles were half a meter longer than their previous armored cars and only a meter narrower than some of Hong Kong's roads, which meant the soldiers' previous driving experience was not applicable to the new batch of modern conveyances.

"We must gain the skills to master this equipment as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we'll be left behind," Fan, the company commander, said.

The whole company quickly began practicing driving the new vehicles on sections of the city's roads that have large roundabouts, sharp bends and ramps.