China’s most recent military drills around Taiwan revealed shortcomings that continue to pose challenges to Beijing, despite its efforts to modernize its forces, a researcher said on Friday.
China conducted drills that involved 232 air sorties from April 8 to Monday last week, 35 sorties on Tuesday and 26 sorties on Wednesday, National Policy Foundation associate research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) said.
The drills showed that the Chinese military made significant improvements in formation flights, individual pilot skills and operational air control, but deficiencies in key capabilities were also apparent, he said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / XINHUA / Mei Shaoquan
Although China flew a record-breaking number of sorties, they did not exceed the sophistication displayed in drills involving 149 sorties from Oct. 1 to 4, 2021, he said.
China at the time practiced nighttime strike operations involving 25 planes, including fighter jets and bombers, that encroached on Taiwan’s southern and southeastern airspace under the guidance of airborne warning and air control systems (AWACS), he said.
During the most recent drills, China practiced sorties during the day and its strike groups did not carry out long-range penetration operations from bases along China’s coast, he said.
Although Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong launched 19 sorties on April 9 and Monday last week alongside China’s air force, there was little coordination between the units involved, he said, calling it China’s first-ever simulation of such a joint operation.
Chinese navy aircraft flew close to southeastern Taiwan, while jets operated by its air force flew near the Taiwan Strait’s median line, suggesting that China lacks the capability to use AWACS for such operations, Chieh said.
Only six sorties involved uncrewed aerial vehicles, an “absurdly low number” in light of the status of drones in China’s plans for a potential war in the Strait, he said.
The unimpressive practice of joint air and sea operations, sparse use of drones and a lack of nighttime flights suggest that the Chinese military has serious difficulties or tries to deceive its adversaries, he said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS