TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) released an image of a Chinese fighter jet taken with a Sniper targeting pod from a Taiwanese jet on Thursday (July 11).  

The MND shared an image of a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Shenyang J-16 fighter plane taken with an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod from a Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet, according to Liberty Times. It also released a Chinese Xian H-6 bomber photo. 

When asked by a reporter whether the images had been captured within the past two days, an MND spokesperson said, "The photos were taken recently.” 

The Joint Staff of Japan's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday (July 9) announced that a Shandong carrier strike group was sighted about 520 km southeast of Miyakojima in Okinawa Prefecture. The Shandong was escorted by the Yanan Type 055 destroyer, the Guilin Type 052D destroyer, and the Yuncheng Type 054A frigate.

The MND on Wednesday morning said it tracked 36 PLA aircraft entering the Western Pacific to carry out exercises with the Shandong carrier strike group. The aircraft included Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, Xian H-6 bombers, Shaanxi KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft, and drones.