TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Canadian and Chinese surveillance aircraft reportedly flew into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), while Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 6 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around the country between 6 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 17) and 6 a.m. Wednesday (Oct. 18).
At 3:14 p.m. on Tuesday, Taiwanese aircraft spotter Taiwan ADIZ claimed on Facebook that a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft, which is officially called the CP-140 Aurora, had been detected in the northern sector of Taiwan's ADIZ. Simultaneously, a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft (KJ-500 AEW&C) had also been tracked in the northern section of the ADIZ, the aircraft spotter added.
Taiwan ADIZ included a screenshot from flight tracker ADS-B Exchange that reported the Canadian CP-140 Aurora located in the northern sector of Taiwan's ADIZ at a low altitude of 701 meters. It also included a screenshot from the flight tracker showing the Chinese KJ-500 flying in the northern ADIZ at an altitude of 6,294 meters.
RCAF CP-140 Aurora reported in northern ADIZ. (ADS-B Exchange screenshot)
When asked by Taiwan News to comment on the report of the presence of Canadian and Chinese surveillance aircraft in the ADIZ that day, the MND issued the following statement: "The military is well aware of the relevant developments around Taiwan, but it will not provide specific details."
On Wednesday, the MND said six PLAAF military aircraft and four People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had been tracked around Taiwan. The MND said the illustration of the flight paths was not provided as no PLAAF aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the southwestern sector of Taiwan's ADIZ.
PLAAF KJ-500 reported in northern ADIZ. (ADS-B Exchange screenshot)
The MND said it utilized its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems to monitor the situation. Combat patrol aircraft were scrambled, naval vessels were dispatched, and land-based air defense missile systems were deployed in response, the ministry said.
On Monday (Oct. 16), the RCAF reported that Chinese fighter jets had intercepted a CP-140 Aurora in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner" as it flew in international waters off the east coast of China, reported CBC. The CP-140 Auora was reportedly intercepted several times over the course of an eight-hour patrol, with a Chinese fighter jet coming as close as five meters in one incident that was captured on camera and posted online.
Since September 2020, Beijing has increasingly employed the use of "gray zone tactics" in the form of deployments of military aircraft and naval vessels over the median line and inside Taiwan's ADIZ.
According to CSIS, gray zone tactics are “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
The following video shows a Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter coming extremely close to a Canadian CP-140 Aurora.
A Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora was intercepted by a PLAAF J-10 fighter jet off the coast of China Monday. A Canadian news crew was onboard to capture the intercept. pic.twitter.com/m93ehW9RJr
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) October 17, 2023
