Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Is China Training To Invade Taiwan?

A file photo of a PLA H-6K bomber flying above the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's Yushan Mountain is in the background. Photo: PLA Daily

Asia Times: PLAAF plateau drills mock raids on Taiwan’s hinterlands

China's pilots fly over rugged mountain areas and plateaus in the west to familiarize themselves with the terrain of Taiwan.

Pilots and aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command were recently marshaled westward for a flyover and simulated dogfights above a craggy, frigid area on the edge of the vast Qinghai-Tibet plateau, the PLA Daily reported.

That seemingly routine exercise in the wildness of western China had everything to do with the southeastern island of Taiwan, a military affairs commentator told the Beijing-based tabloid Global Times.

The drill saw rocket-propelled grenades destroy tiny targets on the ground.

Ballistic trajectories are different above elevated terrain as the air gets thinner along with the increase in altitude, while oxygen deficiency is also physically challenging for the pilots, who also have to overcome turbulence as their jets fly over mountain valleys and gorges.

Read more ....

Update: Chinese Aircraft Drill Over Mountains as War With Taiwan Becomes 'More Probable’ (Sputnik)

WNU editor: China's views on Taiwan are well known. Taiwan is a break-away region, and China reserves the right to do what is necessary to bring it back under its jurisdiction. So yes .... they are training to invade Taiwan, and this has been the case for a very long time.

2 comments:

Mike Feldhake said...

WNU, I disagree with your assessment. Taiwan is simply the remains of the Nationalists we were allied with during WWII. It would be wise for the US to treat them as an ally again which is what I think will happen. Will be interesting but don't think China would stomach the effort to invade this nation.

fred said...

We had many Chinese POWs in the early days of Korean War, and when they were sent further south to pow camps, there was often fighting between those who wanted to return after hostilities to the mainland and live under communism, and those who wanted to go to Taiwan and live in non communist place.