Taiwan does not let its guard down. This Thursday, the Air Force carried out a set of maneuvers on the island, or a simulation of action in the event of a hypothetical attack by China. The operations are carried out the day after the Pentagon gave the green light to the delivery of a new aid package valued at 360.2 million dollars (about 335.3 million euros), which includes the sale of two types of drones of combat.
Different types of combat aircraft participated in the maneuvers, “to verify the defense capacity of important objectives” against a “communist attack,” the official news agency reported. CNA.
The exercise, called ‘Comprehensive Air Defense Operations Plan’, consisted of the simulation of enemy attacks against “important positions” in Taiwan.
During the maneuvers, -informs Efe– The Taiwanese Air Force mobilized several combat aircraft, including F-CK-1 Ching-kuo, Mirage 2000-5 and F-16V fighters, as well as C-130H Hercules transport aircraft and AH-64 Apache combat helicopters , which coordinated with other air defense units on the ground.
According to CNA, the exercise focused on the “integration of military and civil air defense systems” and the operation of the “joint command mechanism” of the Armed Forces, and aimed to evaluate the “capacity to protect important objectives » and «improve the efficiency of joint air defense operations».
“The Air Force emphasized that, in the face of changes and challenges in multi-level combat environments, it will continue to implement various practical training to prepare for potential threats and challenges in the region, defending the airspace and protecting our home,” the agency indicated. state news, adding that the maneuvers were developed in a “favorable”.
These drills took place hours after Chinese forces once again flew over the surroundings of Taiwan: a total of eight Chinese Army aircraft crossed the dividing line of the strait and entered the northern, southwestern and southeastern areas of the self-proclaimed Taiwan Identification Zone. Taiwanese Air Defense (ADIZ), according to the island government.
In its latest daily report, the Ministry of National Defense (MDN) of Taiwan reported the presence of several of these aircraft 107 kilometers from the western city of Taichung and another 116 kilometers from the northern town of Keelung, where an important military base.
The island forces also detected two drones 112 kilometers southwest of Cape Eluanbi, located at the southern tip of Taiwan, and a helicopter circulating 157 kilometers from this same point.
Taiwan – where the Chinese nationalist army withdrew after defeat at the hands of communist troops in the civil war (1927-1949) – has been governed autonomously since the end of the war, although China claims sovereignty over the island. which he considers a rebellious province for whose “reunification” he has not ruled out the use of force.
