The sighting of two advanced Chinese electronic warfare jets flying near Taiwan for the first time was announced on Monday. This technology can blind air defenses from the Island.
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According to the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, 13 Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft fly through its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Monday, including two J-16D electronic warfare aircraft.
The J-16Dn model has never been seen near the Island, a version of Shenyang’s J-16, which debuted in 2015. The airplane bears an electronic warfare pods system designed to suppress enemy air defenses (SEAD) and disrupt communications systems. “It can take the lead in warfare with electromagnetic suppression … Then the assault group follows in its path to attack the enemy,” Fu Qianshao told about the J-16D model.
The J-16D version is similar to the U.S. Navy’s E-18 Growler, a modified model of the F/A-18E/F Hornet fighter airplane. The Western media labeled the flights as a violation of the Taiwanese airspace and as were seen as a prelude to Chinese attacks.
On the other hand, the Chinese government considers Taiwan as a province that is destined to be incorporated with the rest of China but stated that it has no intentions to invade the Island.
The Taiwanese MND stated that the aircraft flew on Monday between Taiwan and Pratas, an island in the northern South China Sea, which the government controls in Taiwan.
On Sunday, two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups led by the carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln started to operate, performing joint exercises in the east of Taiwan in conjunction with Japanese self-defense forces.