Taiwan detects mainland Chinese combat drones circling the island ‘for the first time’
- Unmanned aerial vehicles capable of carrying large weapons flew around the island on Friday, Taiwanese defence officials say
- Manoeuvre comes as US Navy reconnaissance plane flies through Taiwan Strait
Experts said the move indicated the mainland was trying to use a low-cost strategy to break into the self-ruled island’s 24-nautical mile air defence identification zone.
A flight track map released by the Taiwanese defence ministry showed that a long-endurance strike-and-reconnaissance drone – which can carry heavy weapons – circled the island and another long-range reconnaissance drone made a half-loop while 17 other fighter jets hovered southwest of Taiwan.
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Taiwan residents living within sight of mainland China voice concerns over live-fire drills
“It is very likely that the PLA is trying to use new low-cost tactics to break into Taiwan’s 24-nautical mile limit,” said Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung.
“The PLA has flown drones into Taiwan airspace before, but this is the first time drones were deployed to circle the entire island,” Lu said.
Lu said the PLA drones flew much slower than fighter jets, making it very difficult for the island’s air force to scramble warplanes to monitor or expel them. It also made it much more challenging to shoot them down with expensive missiles, Lu said.
“Drones could intimidate the public with psychological warfare, since the on-board cameras can take high-resolution pictures and video for propaganda,” he said.
