TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Shaanxi Y-8 ELINT spotter plane from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday (March 16), according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The aircraft was spotted southwest and southeast of Taiwan’s main island, and was challenged by Air Force planes issuing radio warnings. The military also said it deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of the PLAAF electronic intelligence aircraft.

The highest number of PLAAF aircraft intruding into Taiwan’s ADIZ on a single day so far this year was recorded on Jan. 23, when 39 Chinese planes were spotted. That number was the highest since early Oct. 2021, with a record of 56 planes being set on Oct. 4, CNA reported.

A version of the Y-8 reportedly crashed into the South China Sea near Vietnam on March 1, according to a report confirmed by Taiwan’s main intelligence agency, the National Security Bureau (NSB). Media in Taiwan reported that following the alleged crash, no Y-8 planes appeared in the country’s ADIZ from March 2 to March 7.