TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 16 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (March 28) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (March 29).
Of the 16 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 11 were tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Eight Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, one Xian H-6 bomber, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND.
No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time. In response, Taiwan sent naval ships and used land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 341 military aircraft and 105 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ.
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.”
Flight paths of 11 out of 16 PLA aircraft. (MND image)
