Chinese Air Sorties Turn North
Off the Coast of Keelung, China's Air Combat Patrols
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12 February 2025 (Wednesday)
Chinese Air Sorties Turn North
Off the Coast of Keelung, China's Air Combat Patrols
By Wendell Minnick (Whiskey Mike) 顏文德
TAIPEI - Today the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) released Chinese air sorties that included flights north of Taiwan that actually included flights that covered the east coast of the island.
This is most unusual.
The Chinese often fly missions with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) along the east coast, but normally fly under Taiwan in the Bashi Channel then cut north along the east coast. Some of these missions completely circumnavigate the entirety of the island.
Note the below east coast patrol reaches the sensitive Hualien Air Base. The base is actually housed inside a hollowed-out mountain. It is considered the last stand for Taiwan’s airpower against a Chinese invasion. The facility can house 200 fighter aircraft and is the home of the 5th Tactical Combined Wing: 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (TRG) or “Tigergazer” , and the 17th Tactical Fighter Group (TFG) or “Thunder Squadron”, 26th TFG (“Witches”), and 27th TFG (“Black Dragon”) consisting of F-16 fighter aircraft.
However, no circumnavigation flights have been managed from the northern approach. At least, not to my knowledge, if the readers have evidence please make it clear in the comment section below.
