The Defense Ministry announced that 45 aircraft and 6 ships had been tracked from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday this week in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait. A total of 51 ships and aircraft continue to be active in the area, with 26 aircraft crossing into Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace.
According to the Defense Ministry’s schematics, Taiwan detected 34 Chinese military aircraft and drones in Taiwan Strait airspace from 7:51 a.m. to 9:25 p.m. Wednesday, 19 of which crossed the median line, some coming as close as 41 and 136 nautical miles from Keelung and Cape Eluanbi, respectively. Five aircraft were detected between 7:18 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. in Taiwan’s northern airspace, one of which crossed the median line about 99 nautical miles from Keelung. Six military aircraft and drones were detected in Taiwan’s southwestern airspace from 3:09 p.m. to 7:56 p.m. at about 64 nautical miles from Cape Eluanbi.
Taiwan’s military is equipped with an arsenal including aircraft, naval ships, and coastal defense cruise missiles. The Defense Ministry says they are closely monitoring all activity, remaining ready to respond should the need arise.