Beijing sends 29 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone in one of largest fly-bys of 2022
- Sorties comprising 17 fighter jets, six bombers, supporting aircraft entered air defence identification zone from southwest, island’s defence ministry says
- Not immediately known if warplanes had anything to do with PLA activities in the region, as Taiwan’s air force responds with scrambled jets and radio warnings
Beijing sent 29 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone on Tuesday, the third-largest fly-by this year and the latest in mainland China’s effort to unnerve the self-ruled island.
The sorties comprising 17 fighter jets, six bombers and other supporting aircraft entered the island’s air defence identification zone from the southwest, prompting Taiwan’s air force to shadow jets and aim missiles to disperse them, according to the island’s defence ministry.
“In response, the air force scrambled jets, issued radio warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor their activities,” the ministry said in a statement issued late on Tuesday.
While a Y-8 ELINT surveillance, a Y-9 early warning aircraft and six H-6 bombers flew near Taiwan’s air force bases on the island’s east coast before heading toward the western Pacific Ocean, 17 fighter jets – including Jian-16, Jian-11 and Su-30 – flew near Pratas Island, or Dongsha, according to the chart.