26 February 2022
Ukraine conflict: China deploys aircraft in Taiwan's ADIZ but no increase in activity following start of Ukraine conflict
by Jon Grevatt
The Chinese People‘s Liberation Army Air Force has made regular sorties into Taiwan's claimed airspace in recent months, deploying aircraft including Shenyang J-11 fighters. (Japanese MoD)
China has continued military aircraft deployments in Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has said, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not yet coincided with an increase in such sorties.
According to the MND, nine Chinese People‘s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft entered its ADIZ on 24 February although one day earlier the number was two. The MND said these PLAAF aircraft comprised 10 Shenyang J-16 fighter aircraft and one Shaanxi Y-8 surveillance aircraft.
The MND added that the PLAAF aircraft entered the southwestern part of its ADIZ, close to Dongsha (also called Pratas) Island, which is administered by Taiwan. This position has often been cited by the MND as the location of increasingly regular ADIZ incursions.
In response to these PLAAF deployments, the MND said it scrambled the Republic of China Air Force‘s (RoCAF‘s) combat air patrol and deployed “air-defence missile systems” for monitoring purposes.
The 11 PLAAF aircraft that entered Taiwan's ADIZ took the number of Chinese military aircraft to enter the zone during February to 46 aircraft on 12 separate days.
The figures reflect the increasing regularity with which the PLAAF is deploying its aircraft in Taiwan's ADIZ, but they do not indicate an increase in such activity. In January 2022 and in late 2021 aircraft incursions occurred at a higher rate.
On 23 January, for instance, Taiwan's MND said the PLAAF deployed 39 aircraft in the island's ADIZ, with these platforms including 24 Shenyang J-16 and 10 Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft; two Shaanxi Y-9 (possibly a Y-9JB or Y-9G variant) and two Shaanxi Y-8 (possibly a Y-8G or Y-8CB) electronic-intelligence aircraft; and one H-6 strategic bomber. Another 13 aircraft entered the ADIZ on 24 January.
China's state-run Global Times newspaper said at the time that the deployments were part of drills held by the People‘s Liberation Army (PLA).
The Chinese deployments in January were the biggest since early October when Beijing marked the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People‘s Republic of China.
At that time, a total of 149 PLAAF aircraft entered Taiwan's ADIZ in a period of four days. Another increase in sorties, featuring Shenyang J-11 fighters, was noted by the MND in November.
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China has continued military aircraft deployments in Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ)...
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