[ad_1]
The island’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that the Chinese military sent a drone that circled Taiwan for the second time in a week, referring to the Chinese government A new surveillance tactic As tensions persist across the strait.
the People’s Liberation Army A. flew BZK-005 drone — an unmanned long-range reconnaissance aerial vehicle — around most of the island’s sensitive air defense identification area, according to flight paths released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
The drone flew in from the north and around the eastern side of the area, according to flight paths, before turning south and then flying back west — circling most of Taiwan. The Defense Department said the flight occurred sometime in the 24 hours ending 6 a.m. Wednesday.
It seems that this event is the second time Chinese People’s Liberation Army It has flown a military drone on this kind of circular trajectory around Taiwan, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News based on Department of Defense data. The ministry began publicly publishing the PLA’s regular flight patterns in September 2020.
The first event involving a circular flight path occurred late last week, in the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Friday. Ex-PLA drones flew shorter paths around the defense zone.
Deputy Director-General Chen Chen Kuang said Wednesday in response to questions from lawmakers that Taiwan’s National Security Bureau is closely monitoring the drone situation.
“So far, no intelligence has emerged that China plans to use drones to cause conflict in the gray area,” he said. “We will work with allies to stay on top of early warnings.”
The drone and warplane flights come as retired commandant of the US Marine Corps Pacific, Stephen Ryder, led a delegation of defense contractors to discuss joint development of military equipment, including drones and munitions, with Taiwanese companies on Wednesday.
Beijing has stepped up military operations near the island in recent years, including almost daily raids by warplanes across the Taiwan Strait. Last year, the People’s Liberation Army nearly doubled the number of military flights around the island from the previous year to more than 1,700.
Tensions have also risen between the United States and China over Taiwan, which has sought to strengthen ties with Washington in the face of growing pressure from Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen met former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year and current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last month. Those events have angered Beijing, which views the democratically-run island as its own territory, a claim Tsai and her government reject.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted three days of military exercises around Taiwan after the McCarthy meeting, saying it was “ready to fight at any time and crush separatist activities and foreign interference.”
the People’s Liberation Army A. flew BZK-005 drone — an unmanned long-range reconnaissance aerial vehicle — around most of the island’s sensitive air defense identification area, according to flight paths released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
The drone flew in from the north and around the eastern side of the area, according to flight paths, before turning south and then flying back west — circling most of Taiwan. The Defense Department said the flight occurred sometime in the 24 hours ending 6 a.m. Wednesday.
It seems that this event is the second time Chinese People’s Liberation Army It has flown a military drone on this kind of circular trajectory around Taiwan, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News based on Department of Defense data. The ministry began publicly publishing the PLA’s regular flight patterns in September 2020.
The first event involving a circular flight path occurred late last week, in the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Friday. Ex-PLA drones flew shorter paths around the defense zone.
Deputy Director-General Chen Chen Kuang said Wednesday in response to questions from lawmakers that Taiwan’s National Security Bureau is closely monitoring the drone situation.
“So far, no intelligence has emerged that China plans to use drones to cause conflict in the gray area,” he said. “We will work with allies to stay on top of early warnings.”
The drone and warplane flights come as retired commandant of the US Marine Corps Pacific, Stephen Ryder, led a delegation of defense contractors to discuss joint development of military equipment, including drones and munitions, with Taiwanese companies on Wednesday.
Beijing has stepped up military operations near the island in recent years, including almost daily raids by warplanes across the Taiwan Strait. Last year, the People’s Liberation Army nearly doubled the number of military flights around the island from the previous year to more than 1,700.
Tensions have also risen between the United States and China over Taiwan, which has sought to strengthen ties with Washington in the face of growing pressure from Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen met former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year and current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last month. Those events have angered Beijing, which views the democratically-run island as its own territory, a claim Tsai and her government reject.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted three days of military exercises around Taiwan after the McCarthy meeting, saying it was “ready to fight at any time and crush separatist activities and foreign interference.”
[ad_2]
