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As it conducts manoeuvres surrounding Taiwan with the intention of intimidating the self-ruled island, China is waving a wide variety of military hardware and weapons.
The three-day display of force, which started on Saturday, comes after China’s ire was aroused by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to the US.
Beijing’s arsenal is listed below:
Aircraft
Over the course of the three days, China has stationed a large number of aircraft, including J-16 and J-10C fighter jets, in the airspace above Taiwan.
The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s cutting-edge J-16s can transport both short- and long-range missiles, according to the government-run Global Times.
KJ-500 early warning and surveillance aircraft, which offer 360-degree radar coverage, have also been used in the current operations around Taiwan, according to the defence intelligence firm Janes.
Additionally, the Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, which has previously been employed in patrols over the East China Sea, has been deployed, according to state media.
Missiles
In what China refers to as the “Joint Sword” exercises, People’s Liberation Army land forces have also been included, simulating attacks on Taiwan with YJ-12B land-based anti-ship missiles.
The public has limited access to information regarding the YJ-12B. According to the US-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, it is a land-based variant of the YJ-12 missile, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads and has a 460-kilometer range.
The short-range conventional ballistic missiles DF-11 and DF-15 have also been used in this week’s drills.
The more recent DF-15 is capable of “striking Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and northern India from mainland China,” according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Both aircraft are vintage models.
China’s soldiers “simulated joint precision strikes” on Taiwan on Sunday, according to official broadcaster CCTV.
Warships
Over the weekend, China dispatched destroyers and frigates towards Taiwan, and on Sunday, the Taiwanese defence ministry claimed to have found nine Chinese warships in the area.
Both the Type 054A frigate and the Type 052C destroyer have been among them.
According to the defence industry newspaper Naval Technology, the HQ-16 medium-range surface-air missiles on the 054A are built for anti-air combat and are capable of hitting aerial targets 50 km distant.
The Shandong aircraft carrier from China passed through Taiwan’s southeast waters on its route to the western Pacific just hours before Tsai met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles last Wednesday.
Of the two Chinese aircraft carriers, only the Shandong was entirely made in China. Dec. 2019 saw its commissioning into the PLA Navy.
The Shandong’s journey last week, according to Chinese state media, demonstrated that the carrier is “fully ready for far sea operations and safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while not being a part of “Joint Sword” in the strictest sense.
