TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ten Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday (April 5), marking the third intrusion this month.

Four People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter planes, four Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, and one Shaanxi KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In addition, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest and southeast corners of Taiwan’s identification zone.

In response, Taiwan scrambled planes, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF planes. An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s air space where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves.

Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its gray-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes. Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”

According to MND data, Chinese planes were tracked in Taiwan’s identification zone 18 times in March, 17 times in February, 27 times in January, while last year they were observed times 19 in December, 22 times in November, and 22 times in October, including a drone on Oct. 22.



Chinese J-10 (MND photo)



Chinese KJ-500 (MND photo)



Chinese Y-8 ASW (MND photo)



Flight path of Chinese planes on April 5 (MND image)