Taiwanese jets scramble as Chinese aircraft enter Taiwan’s air defense zone

A fleet of Chinese military aircraft flew in Taiwan’s air defense force on September 23, 2021, in an apparent show of force.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, 12 J-16 fighters, two J-11 jets, two H-6 bombers, two anti-submarine-warfare aircraft, and one electronic-warfare aircraft, entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone on the morning of September 23,2021.

19 PLA aircraft (J-16*12, Y-8 ASW*2, H-6*2, Y-8 EW and J-11*2) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ in the morning of September 23, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/c5EJJFhzKL pic.twitter.com/81fIdFbWFI
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. (@MoNDefense) September 23, 2021

A second batch of aircraft again flew into Taiwan’s air defense zone in the afternoon of the same day. The second wave of aircraft consisted of two J-16s, two J-11s, and one KJ-500 early-warning aircraft.

5 PLA aircraft (J-16*2, KJ-500 AEW&C and J-11*2) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ in the afternoon of September 23, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/dnE5VagCye pic.twitter.com/GiQEnVdTZM
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. (@MoNDefense) September 23, 2021

The Chinese aircraft were detected and tracked by air defense systems, and alarms were raised. Both times, Taiwanese jets were deployed to warn off the Chinese fleet.

This incident comes a week after Taiwan proposed boosting military spending by $8.7bn over the next five years. China also sent a round of military aircraft a day after Taiwan announced its military budget increase.

China’s military regularly sends aircraft near Taiwan, and the largest recorded ‘show of force’ was in July of 2021 when 28 of China’s warplanes flew over Taiwan.