Taiwan’s military reported that between 6 a.m. yesterday (October 3rd) and 6 a.m. today (October 4th), they detected 29 military aircraft and 5 naval vessels from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operating around the Taiwan Strait. Of these, 16 aircraft crossed the median line of the strait and its extension, entering the northern and southwestern airspaces of Taiwan. Notably, an “Gongji-2” drone, also known as the “Wing Loong-2” drone, crossed the median line for the first time. This drone is a multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by mainland China for both reconnaissance and combat purposes.
The Taiwanese military further identified various PLA aircrafts, including the BZK-005 drone, Su-30, J-10, J-16 fighters, Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, Y-9 communication jamming aircraft, Y-8 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, and the aforementioned “Gongji-2” drone, making a combined total of 29 sorties over the sea. In response, the Taiwanese military employed mission aircraft, ships, and ground-based missile systems for strict monitoring and handling.
According to data, the “Wing Loong” series of multi-purpose drones were developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute. They are capable of fully autonomous takeoff and landing, cruise flight, air-ground coordination, and ground relay control. Apart from surveillance and monitoring tasks, they can also handle ground attack missions. The “Wing Loong-2” drone has an enlarged body with a maximum flight altitude of 9,000 meters, a top speed of 370 kilometers per hour, a payload capacity of 480 kilograms, and an endurance of up to 32 hours.
Analysis by Taiwan’s “Liberty Times” suggests that the PLA may exploit the drone’s long endurance capabilities, hovering continuously for 24 hours over the Taiwan Strait or repeatedly entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). This could increase the interception burden on the Taiwanese Air Force, raising fuel and flight costs.