According to local media reports, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) on Oct. 22 entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone and Taiwan’s military deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the aircraft.
This is the first time that a PLA UAV has made in incursion into the zone.
In addition to crossing the Taiwan Strait median line with fighter jets, the PLA has also begun to frequently dispatch marine reconnaissance aircraft, airborne early warning and control aircraft, and — crucially — strategic weaponry-class UAVs into Taiwan’s air defense identification zones.
If this abnormal state of affairs gradually becomes normalized, Taiwan’s military would need to decide whether to react to each incursion by a UAV by scrambling fighter aircraft.
Former chief of general staff admiral Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) said in an interview that since defense resources are limited, Taiwan should avoid getting into a war of attrition with China.
It would not matter how many additional F-16Vs Taiwan purchased, it would be worn into the ground, Lee said.
UAVs can be used for ground attacks and assassinations, and a number of drone attacks worldwide have in the past few years caught the attention of observers.
On Sept. 14 last year, 10 UAVs armed with explosives penetrated the sophisticated air defense systems of two state-run Saudi Arabian oil refineries, causing damage to euipment running into hundreds of millions of US dollars and the loss of incalculable oil export revenue.
Saudi oil exports were disrupted by 5.7 million barrels per day, global oil prices spiked and the attack significantly exacerbated existing political and military tensions in the Middle East.
On Aug. 4, 2018, while Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was delivering a speech at a military event in Caracas, a hostile group flew two UAVs loaded with explosives close to the stage and detonated them. Maduro and his wife survived, but were shaken.
It was the first known attempt to use a UAV to assassinate a head of state, and the incident left many around the world stunned.
In December 2018, a drone incident occurred at London’s Gatwick Airport. Following multiple reports of drone sightings close to its runways, the airport was forced to close for more than 24 hours.
The incident caused the diversion or cancellation of about 1,000 flights and affected about 140,000 passengers.
High-performance drones are more stealthy, flexible and cost-effective than conventional military hardware and are destined to play a vital role in future conflicts.
In particular, military UAVs armed with short, medium and long-range missiles, or equipped with biological weapons, would be difficult to prevent and defeat.
In the past few years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been throwing resources into the research and development of drone technology.
The PLA has fielded aerial reconnaissance drones such as the Chengdu Pterodactyl I and Aisheng ASN-205 series, the Hongdu GJ-11 “Sharp Sword” stealth attack UAV or the IAI Harpy loitering munition, imported from Israel.
All of these UAVs could be used to attack important military installations in Taiwan.
As we enter the age of sophisticated artificial intelligence drones, in addition to drawing lessons from drone attacks around the world, the Taiwan’s national security and defense infrastructure must research and develop ways to defend against this potent new security threat.
Yao Chung-yuan is an adjunct professor and former deputy director of the Ministry of National Defense’s strategic planning department.
Translated by Edward Jones
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS