Taiwan’s air force scrambled Thursday when nine Chinese aircraft crossed over into its air defense zone, the nation’s defense ministry announced.
According to Reuters:
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained of regular such missions by the Chinese air force over the last two years, though the aircraft do not get close to Taiwan itself. The number of aircraft involved was well off the last large-scale incursion, 39 Chinese aircraft on Jan. 23, and since then, such fly-bys have been sporadic with far fewer aircraft.
The incident apparently involved eight of China’s J-16 fighters and a single Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft, the outlet said.
In a social media post Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense shared an image of the flight paths:
The ministry also posted file photos of the aircraft:
Earlier this month, Tawain received support thanks to the approval of U.S. weapons contracts as threats from China loomed.
“The United States has agreed to a $100 million ‘military sales’ deal with Taiwan, allowing them access to gain ‘PATRIOT air and missile defense systems’ to help provide their airspace with the necessary security in light of growing Chinese threats,” Breitbart News reported, adding:
The need for the contract was demonstrated on the 23rd of January when China flew “39 warplanes” into Taiwan’s air defense zone, the second-largest number of incursions from China that have been recorded. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense expressed “gratitude” to the U.S. on Monday and said that the “arms sale” will “strengthen” their “defense capabilities and maintain regional peace and stability.”
On Thursday, Taiwan’s fighters took to the skies to ward off the Chinese aircraft and “air defence missiles were deployed to ‘monitor the activities,'” according to the Reuters report.
“Taiwan has been warily watching the Ukraine crisis, nervous that China may try to take advantage to move on the island,” the outlet said.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine Wednesday, calling the unprovoked attack a “special military operation for the de-Militarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine,” Breitbart News reported.
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