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In a first, Taiwan’s missile systems track PLA fighter jets
- Island admits using systems to tail mainland aircraft but do not say which ones were involved
- Tactic could be used again but is more of a warning than a threat to targeted planes, analyst says
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Taiwan for the first time tracked People’s Liberation Army fighters with surface-to-air missile radars on Monday, a tactic that could become more common in the future, an observer said.
The Taiwanese defence ministry said it used the systems to tail and expel the PLA J-10 and J-11 fighter jets, which crossed the “median line” of the Taiwan Strait – the unofficial airspace boundary between the island and the mainland.
The incident came as US Health Secretary Alex Azar started his landmark trip to Taiwan.
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It is the first time the Taiwanese military has admitted using the ground-based anti-aircraft missiles during an interception.
But the island did not say which type of missile systems were involved, or whether the fire control radar was primed. Such a move would be more threatening and signal that the systems were ready to fire.
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Taiwan has a number of land-based air defence missile systems, including US Patriot and Hawk missiles and its own Sky Bow series. They are deployed on the island and on Taiwan-controlled islands in the strait.
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