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Aircraft watchers monitoring airwaves around Taiwan said they picked up on the conversation on the flight emergency frequency 121.5 MHz at 9:20 a.m. Taipei time, on a morning that saw 17 alerts sent to PLA warplanes within six hours.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense later confirmed that a total of 28 Chinese military aircraft had flown into Taipei’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), marking the largest single-day “attack” on record since 25 warplanes were detected at the ADIZ on April 12.
Also read: Group of 25 Chinese Military Aircraft Attacks Taiwan’s ADIZ
“This is the Republic of China Air Force (ROC). Chinese military aircraft flying at an altitude of 6,500 meters in airspace southwest of Taiwan: You have entered our airspace and are affecting flight safety. Turn around and leave immediately,” the radio interception began with standard broadcast by Taiwanese radio operators as quoted from Newsweek, Wednesday (16/6/2021).
Operators add a message carefully that is rarely heard.
“The consequences of any accident are yours alone,” said the Taiwanese radio operator.
According to a transcript of the radio correspondence, a Chinese pilot answered the radio call.
“This is the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army Navy that conducts routine missions,” the pilot said.
No radio talk between the two took place, but it wasn’t the first time a PLA pilot has been involved with Taiwanese Air Force personnel.
According to publicly available data released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, China set a monthly record for ADIZ strikes in April, flying a total of 107 sorties to the area. Prior to Tuesday’s operation, last May there was a significant decline in attacks on Taiwan’s ADIZ region.
The resumption of military activity in the Taiwan Strait came after US President Joe Biden led G7 and NATO leaders rebuked Beijing’s policies on trade, technology and human rights, among other areas.
Also read: NATO Grows Fearful of China’s Rise
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