- Live-fire drill is largest of its kind for five years, island’s defence ministry says
- Drill forms part of Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang exercises
It also included a scenario in which a large number of enemy planes flew towards the north of Taiwan from across the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry.
“The warships included two Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, La Fayette-class frigates, Ching Chiang-class patrol ships, Tuo Chiang-class corvettes and Kuang Hua-class missile boats, while warplanes like F-16s, Mirage 2000s and indigenous defence fighter jets were also dispatched to take part in the joint exercise,” a ministry official said.
Anti-air missiles and anti-submarine rockets were used as part of the live-fire drill, which was the largest of its kind in five years, the official said.
The drill was bigger in scale than a similar one last April when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen boarded a ship as commander-in-chief of the Taiwanese armed forces to inspect the exercise off the east coast, the official added.
– Taiwan’s biggest exercise, staged to counter possible attack from the mainland. The exercises take place in various parts of the island and the next stage will get under way next week.
According to the ministry, F-16V fighter jets, indigenous Clouded Leopard armoured vehicles and Perry-class guided missile frigates will be among a wide range of military equipment and craft to take part.
The military will also test the landing and take-off readiness of its warplanes on the Huatan section of Taiwan’s major motorway – selected as a special landing and take-off air lane in case of emergency.
Taiwan has been under constant military threat from Beijing, which considers the democratic island a wayward province that must return to the mainland fold, by force if necessary.
The threat has become stronger since Tsai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in 2016 and
the one-China principle. Beijing has also suspended official exchanges and talks with Taipei, insisting that resumption of such exchanges would be possible only if Tsai acknowledged the principle.
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