PLANAF ASW helicopter enters Taiwan's ADIZ for the first time

A People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter has entered Taiwan's southwestern air-defence identification zone (ADIZ) for the first time, according to data provided by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taipei.

The MND announced on 16 February that a Kamov Ka-28PL ASW helicopter was among three People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft that were spotted entering the ADIZ on that day, with the other aircraft being a Shaanxi Y-8 electronic intelligence aircraft (possibly a PLANAF Y-8JB or a People's Liberation Army Air Force's [PLAAF's] Y-8CB) and a Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft (possibly a Y-8G).

The MND noted that the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) reacted by scrambling fighters, issuing radio warnings, and mobilising air-defence assets until the PLA aircraft left the area. It also reported 173 incursions of PLA's military aircraft across 32 days since the beginning of 2022.

The PLAAF's sorties are often seen as attempts by China to test Taiwan's detection and response capabilities. Beijing also seems increasingly keen to test and showcase the capability of a wider array of aircraft types in the zone.