Chinese combat drone circles Taiwan, crosses median line

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Friday (April 28) that a long range Chinese combat drone capable of carrying large weapons payload has circled the island nation. According to local media, this is the first time the defence ministry has reported a Chinese military aircraft making the circle from one end of the median line to the other.

The median line is an unofficial boundary that divides the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China. The drone's circling flight path saw it crossing the median line to the island's south before flying around its east coast and returning to China. Taiwanese defence ministry released a map to show these areas.

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China considers Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out use of force to capture it.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected 38 Chinese aircraft, including a TB-001 drone nicknamed the "twin-tailed scorpion", around the island between 6 am (1000 GMT) Thursday and 6 am Friday.

The defence ministry added that 19 of the aircraft had "crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan's southwest, southeast, and northeast (air defence identification zone)", or ADIZ, the highest number of incursions since China ended three days of war games earlier this month.

ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace. It includes a much larger area that overlaps with part of China's own ADIZ and even some of the mainland.

The TB-001 is one of the largest drones in China's arsenal and boasts a flight range of 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles).

The drone was previously deployed by China during the military drills which ended on April 10. These drills involved simulating targeted strikes and a blockade intended to be aimed at Taiwan.

The war games were a response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the United States, where she met Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

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Separately, the Chinese military said it sent fighter jets to track a US reconnaissance plane as it flew through the Taiwan Strait on Friday.

Western militaries, led by the US, regularly conduct "freedom of navigation operations" with warships and aircraft in Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. These operations are aimed at asserting international status of these waterways.

(With inputs from agencies)

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