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Mainland fighter crossed Taiwan Strait meridian in June
A USAF U-2 plane, which conducted reconnaissance missions in the Taiwan Strait in late June, was chased by two mainland Chinese Su-27s.
Publication Date：07/25/2011
A mainland Chinese fighter jet crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait in late June while attempting to chase off a U.S. Air Force U-2 reconnaissance plane on a monitoring mission in the region, according to foreign sources.
In response, the ROC Air Force quickly dispatched two F-16 fighters to the area, at which point the mainland Su-27 fighter returned to the mainland side of the median line, the sources said.
The ROC military, which closely monitored the whole course of events as they unfolded, determined the incident to be an isolated case. Afterwards, it notified the Presidential Office of the incident.
Fan Chiang Tai-chi, spokesman for the office, said the Ministry of National Defense handled the matter based on established formulas.
MND spokesman Lo Shao-ho pointed out that Taiwan’s military has the ability to effectively monitor the activities of mainland military aircraft.
“The military deals immediately with any unusual situation according to standard procedures, to safeguard Taiwan’s air space,” Lo explained.
According to the sources, the incident occurred while the U-2 aircraft was flying from the U.S. Air Force’s Osan Air Base in South Korea to Kadena Air Base in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.
The U.S. Air Force reportedly informed the Taiwan side in advance of the monitoring mission, whose route passed through Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. (SB)
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