Taiwan Intercepts Chinese Y-8 Jet After Prolific Missile Test

Amid high tensions in the Taiwan Strait, fighters from the Taiwanese Air Force were scrambled to intercept a Y-8 transport aircraft from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after it reportedly approached the territory’s airspace. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry stated regarding the incident: “We detected the Chinese Communist Yun-8 aircraft flying southwest into Taiwan this morning and immediately dispatched our fighter jets to shadow it and disperse through radio warning.” The incident came a day after Taiwan carried out its first test of the Tien Kung 3 surface to air missile, an anti-ballistic missiles intended to provide greater security against possible PLA attacks in the event of a cross straits war.  The missile was fired on June 11th at an older Tien Kung 2 missile and successfully intercepted it.

June 10th saw a U.S. military aircraft enter Taiwanese airspace, a very rare occurrence, with a Navy C-40A carrying out an extended sortie over multiple major cities. The PLA responded quickly with a show of force, and flew its Su-30 heavyweight fighters around Taiwanese airspace. The Chinese mainland and Taiwan have been technically at war for over 70 years, with both Taipei and Beijing claiming to be the rightful governments of the entire Chinese nation. Taiwan’s government, however, has negligible international recognition and lacks a seat at the United Nations, leading it to be widely considered equivalent to a non-state actor. It has nevertheless been able to purchase considerable quantities of Western arms in recent months, and over the past year and a half has signed contracts for over $10 billion worth of U.S. and European weapons.