China spy plane tests Taiwan’s air defences

The aircraft flew just 30m above sea level, as China scouts Taiwan’s radar ability and familiarises its pilots with the area.

China’s military is sending more missions near Taiwan as it ramps up its deployment in the region. Picture: AFP

A Chinese spy plane attempted to fly below Taiwan’s radar detection system as it gathered intelligence and tested the island’s air defences.

The Y-8 tactical reconnaissance aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flew 30 metres above sea level off Taiwan yesterday as part of China’s growing military manoeuvres around the self-governing island.

Chinese aircraft have made almost daily incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone since September.

This was the lowest flight made in an area that acts as a buffer between international airspace and a nation’s territorial airspace.

Lin Yin-yu, a professor at the Institute of Strategic and International Affairs at National Chung Cheng University in southern Taiwan, told the South China Morning Post that the low-altitude flight served to test the Taiwanese military’s radar response capability.

“By flying at an altitude of 30 metres, the PLA plane was testing if it could fly beneath the radio wave coverage area,” Lin said.

F-16 jet fighters during a military drill in southern Taiwan. Picture: Getty Images

In Taiwan, the defence ministry said it responded to the incursion by scrambling civil air patrol aircraft, issuing radio warnings and deploying a defence missile system to monitor the spy plane.

Tensions over the Taiwan Strait have escalated sharply over the past months, as Beijing vows to unify with what it considers a runaway province.

Experts believe the Chinese military are frequently sending their planes near Taiwan to train pilots and to collect intelligence on the US military deployment in the region.

The Times