A total of 19 PLA military aircraft took an encircling tactical route in the southern airspace of Taiwan in a rare incursion into Taiwan’s southern airspace today, according to the PLA’s military aircraft movements in the southwest airspace released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense this evening (Sept. 23).
According to the trajectory map, the fighter-bombers, including 12 J-16 fighter-bombers and 2 J-11 air superiority fighters, flew in tactical formation across the central line of the Taiwan Strait in an east-west direction in the southwestern airspace of Taiwan, accompanied by a long-range jamming aircraft, the Y-8G (Gaoxin-4).
This formation is considered by senior aviation and information experts of Taiwan’s National Security Council to be the standard equipment for future attacks on Taiwan, with the Y-8G conducting offensive electronic operations and covering J-16s and other fighters in air superiority seizures.
In addition, the Y-8G long-range jammer was accompanied by two Y-8Q anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft and two H-6K strategic bombers, which flew in a pincer pattern around the southeastern waters of Taiwan, and flew in and out of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), with strong provocative intent.
It can be seen that the long-range interference aircraft of the Y-8G is a very important role in the future when the PLA uses force against Taiwan.
This year’s Zhuhai Airshow is about to unfold, and the J-16D electric fighter appears in its exhibition for the first time. According to Taiwan’s defense analyst Chen Zongyi, the U.S. military in Taiwan analyzed a handful of photos and concluded that the wing-end electric warfare pods of the J-16D should be on the same level as the U.S. EA-18G, and even have more electronic combat and guidance capabilities, and that Taiwan’s land-launched Sword-2 medium-range air defense missile expected to be displayed at the Double Ten Festival is not a realistic opponent of the PLA in respect of anti-electronic capabilities.
Furthermore, H-6K and Y- 8 anti-submarine aircraft recently appeared in large numbers in Taiwan’s southeastern waters, the trajectory across the spoke is quite large, showing that the PLA is quite confident, even without the main fighter aircraft such as J-16 to accompany the flight, H-6K and Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, can still be accompanied by the Y-8G long-range jammer for tactical missions, without fear of Taiwan’s anti-aircraft missile system tracking.