Chinese and Russian troops will kick off their five-day joint anti-terror drill today, despite the loss of an aircraft on Sunday.

The Chinese military plane and its crew of two was preparing to join the massive exercise, the third such drill since 2005.

The Xinhua News Agency reported that the fighter-bomber was flying over the Taonan tactical training base in Jilin province when it went down. The cause of the crash was not immediately known and military authorities are investigating.