TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around the country between 6 a.m. on Monday (May 1) and 6 a.m. on Tuesday (May 2).
At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the MND said that 14 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and three People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had been tracked around Taiwan. Of the detected aircraft, two crossed the median line or entered the southwest section of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
The aircraft tracked in the ADIZ included one Harbin BZK-005 RECCE drone and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) plane. The Harbin BZK-005 RECCE drone crossed the southwest edge of the median line and flew into the southwest sector of the ADIZ before returning along the same route.
The Shaanxi Y-8 ASW aircraft flew on a similar route in the ADIZ just to the southwest of the median line. The MND said it monitored the situation and responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defense missile systems.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gray zone tactics are “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 PLA aircraft in southwest corner of ADIZ. (MND image)
