China attempts yet another incursion in Taiwan as 18 military aircraft invade ADIZ

In yet another incident of incursion, 18 Chinese military aircraft invaded Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday. According to the Ministry of National Defence of Taiwan, 18 Chinese aircraft - six J-11 fighter jets, six J-16 fighter jets, two Xi'an H-6 bombers, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane and one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft invaded the airspace, reported Taiwan news.

The Y-8 ASW and two H-6 bombers flew around the southwest and southeast corners of Taiwan's ADIZ while the other planes entered from the southwest region, which has witnessed the most incursions since the military began reporting them in September 2020, according to Taiwan news. Repeating its retaliation strategy, Taiwan's Air Force dispatched aircraft, issued radio warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to track the Chinese aircraft, the report further added.

China's sky intrusions

Earlier on April 30, Taiwan's Ministry of Defence claimed that two Russian-made Su-30 fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) entered the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Furthermore, on April 10, at least four Chinese military aircraft invaded Taiwan's ADIZ. The aircraft was identified as a Shenyang J-11 fighter jet, a Shaanxi Y-8 EW electronic warfare plane, a CAIC WZ-10 attack helicopter and a Russian-made Mi-17 freight helicopter. For the unversed, an ADIZ is a zone that extends beyond a country's airspace where approaching aircraft are asked to identify themselves by air traffic controllers.

It is pertinent to mention here that China, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, has advanced its incursion attempts on Taiwan in recent months. Notably, the most heightened number of intrusions by Chinese aircraft on a single day in 2022 so far transpired on January 23, when the Taiwan military spotted 39 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft.

US approves sale of Air Defence System worth $95 million to Taiwan

Earlier last month, the US also approved the sale of training and equipment worth up to $95 million (over Rs 700 crores) to support Taiwan's Patriot missile defence system. According to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the package would comprise training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance and associated equipment for the Patriot Air Defense System. The DSCA, in a statement, noted that this proposed sale is in accordance with United States law and policy, as stated in Public Law 96-8.