The Republic of China Air Force air force fighter jets intercepted Chinese maritime patrol aircraft intruded into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
The ROCAF, Taiwan’s air force, scrambled fighter jets on the night of Oct. 15. to intercept Chinese Y-8Q maritime patrol aircraft, known popularly as “submarine hunter”. According to the procedure, it also readied its anti-aircraft missile and artillery batteries to shoot down the Chinese planes, in case they were missed by the scrambled fighter jets.
“ROCAF deployed patrolling aircraft and air defense missile systems to monitor the activity. We keep protect our country regardless of day or night,” said in a statement on an official Twitter account.
The Y-8Q, also designed as Y-8 GX6, is a Chinese modern maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft equipped with seven-meter-long Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom, which detects the magnetic signature of enemy submarines’ metal hulls as the aircraft flies over them.
Y-8Q likely also features a number of multirole mission consoles in its mission cabin, along with a mission planning area, and a rest area featuring bunks for long duration missions.
Thursday’s intercept follows similar encounters earlier this month in which Taiwan’s jets intercepted Chinese Y-8Q maritime patrol aircraft and KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft near the sensitive midline of the Taiwan Strait.
