TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For the first time, a Chinese Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopter was spotted entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday (Feb. 16).

While the ministry did not give any confirmation, earlier reports said that an aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) had been seen flying only 30 meters above the sea inside the southwestern sector of the ADIZ at 9:14 a.m. Wednesday. The report speculated that the aircraft might have been an attack helicopter, as a WZ-10 had been reported in Oct. 2021.

The military also said a Shaanxi Y-8 electronic intelligence spotter plane and a Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft entered the ADIZ Wednesday, the Liberty Times (LTN) reported.

As usual on such occasions, Taiwan’s Air Force tasked aircraft, issued radio warnings telling the PLAAF pilots to turn back, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the Chinese aircraft.

Since the start of 2022, the Ministry of National Defense has reported a total of 173 Chinese military planes entering the ADIZ on 32 different days, according to the Liberty Times report.

The Ka-28 is an export version of the Soviet-designed Kamov Ka-27, which has also been in service in Vietnam, India, and South Korea.