PLA warplanes enter Taiwan air defence zone 2 days after record sortie
- Jets were scrambled, radio warnings issued and air defence missile systems deployed on the island in response
- Latest fly-by includes four old model J-7 fighters along with modern jets, suggesting an interoperability test, observers say
Observers said the latest fly-by – which involved two newer-model J-16 fighter jets, four old model J-7 fighters and one Y-8 electric warfare aircraft – was aimed at testing interoperability of its two generations of planes. It was also intended to test their ability to counter electronic interference, they said.
In a statement, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the planes had prompted the island’s air force “to scramble jets, issue radio warnings and deploy air defence missile systems to monitor the activities of the planes”.
It was the sixth time PLA planes had entered Taiwan’s ADIZ this month, according to the ministry.
While most of the activity by PLA planes were intended to warn Taiwan against pushing for formal independence, observers said they also had specific missions, including the flexing of the PLA’s military might, as well as training and reconnaissance.
Tuesday’s sortie was widely seen as a show of force after the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group conducted drills in the disputed South China Sea, and Nato leaders warned that China’s military threat presented “systemic challenges”.
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