China sends 11 naval vessels, 9 military aircraft around Taiwan

Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone crossed median line into southwest ADIZ

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 11 Chinese naval vessels and nine military aircraft around the country between

MND said that 11 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels and nine People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft had been tracked around Taiwan. Of the detected aircraft, one entered the southwest section of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

The aircraft tracked in the southwest ADIZ was a Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone, which also crossed the far southwest end of the median line. The MND said it monitored the situation and responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defense missile systems.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gray zone tactics are “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”