TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Sixteen Chinese military planes flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday (Oct. 3), marking the third intrusion this month.
Eight People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, four Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes, two Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare planes, and two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft were tracked in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLAAF planes.
Sunday’s intrusions follow two days of large displays of aerial force from China. On Oct. 1, Beijing sent 38 military aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, followed by 39 military planes on Oct. 2, the latter of which was also a single-day record for number of Chinese planes in the zone since the MND started publicly reporting incursions in September 2020.
Since then, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner of the zone.
An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves. Gray zone tactics are defined “as an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempt to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”
According to MND data, Chinese aircraft were tracked in Taiwan’s ADIZ 27 times in September, 14 times in August, 14 times in July, 10 times in June, 18 times in May, 22 times in April, 18 times in March, 17 times in February, and 27 times in January. Last year, they were observed 19 times in December, 22 times in November, and 22 times in October.
Chinese Su-30 fighter jet. (MND photo)KJ-500 AEW&C. (MND photo)
Chinese Y-8 ASW. (MND photo)
Flight path of Chinese planes on Oct. 3. (MND image)