TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's military on Monday (April 26) intercepted a Chinese spy plane apparently trying to test the country's radar capabilities by flying at an extremely low altitude of only 30 meters.
On Monday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense announced that a Y-8 electronic warfare plane (
Local military aircraft tracker SouthwestAirspaceofTW tracked the aircraft's flight paths as well as radio broadcasts by the MND. It stated that a Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) plane was detected that day as well.
Y-8 EW. (MND photo)
At 8:30 a.m., the Y-8 ASW was detected at an altitude of 3,000 meters. At 8:55 a.m., the Y-8 EW was spotted at an altitude of 7,000 meters.
At 9:47 a.m., the Y-8 RECCE was detected flying at a mere 30 meters above the water. According to the aircraft tracker, the MND issued a radio warning to the low-flying plane:
"Republic of China Air Force broadcast. Attention CCP military aircraft at an altitude of 30 meters in Taiwan's southwest. You have entered our ADIZ, which affects our flight safety. Turn around and leave, immediately!"
Y-8 RECCE. (MND photo)
Not only did the incident mark the lowest altitude incursion by a Chinese military plane in Taiwan's ADIZ this year, but it also was the lowest altitude that Taiwan's military had directed a radio warning broadcast in 2021.
On the tracker's Facebook page that day, the administrator jokingly wrote, "You're at 30 meters to practice your diving?"
