After President Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deployed land, sea, and air forces along with rocket troops to conduct the “Joint Sword – 2024A” military exercise around Taiwan and its surrounding islands. Despite this show of force from the CCP, the people of Taiwan remained calm in the face of these military maneuvers. Of particular interest was the footage showing Taiwan’s F-16V monitoring CCP’s J-16 and H-6 aircraft, indicating the Taiwanese military’s ability to potentially shoot down CCP aircraft.
The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense stated on Saturday that between 6 am on Friday (May 24) and 6 am on Saturday, the Taiwanese military detected a total of 62 instances of CCP aircraft and 27 instances of CCP vessels in the airspace surrounding Taiwan. Among them, there were 47 instances of CCP aircraft crossing the unofficial median line in the Taiwan Strait and entering Taiwan’s southwest, southeast, and eastern airspace. The Taiwanese military closely monitored and responded to these activities using aircraft, ships, and land-based missile systems.
On Friday, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense released video footage showing Taiwanese Air Force jets monitoring CCP J-16 and H-6 aircraft.
The video depicted Taiwan’s F-16V jets locking onto CCP J-16 and H-6 aircraft. From the footage, it was apparent that the Taiwanese military could potentially shoot down CCP aircraft with the press of a missile launch button.
According to reports in the Taiwanese media, the footage was captured using AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods carried by the F-16V jets, providing clear imaging of the CCP aircraft.
In a 2018 arms sale to Taiwan, the United States provided 18 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods, enhancing Taiwan’s F-16V jets’ ability to conduct precision ground attacks during both daytime and nighttime operations.
The Liberty Times in Taiwan reported that the targeting pods enable pilots to accurately pinpoint targets from afar, transmitting high-resolution images back to command centers. Various U.S. fighter jets and bombers are equipped with these pods. This advanced targeting pod can detect ground targets from heights of 15,000 meters, with ten times the precision and five times the detection range compared to Taiwan’s current LANTIRN pods, significantly increasing attack effectiveness and reducing civilian casualties.
After the Military News Agency, under the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, released the video of F-16V locking onto CCP J-16 and H-6 aircraft on the X social media platform, it sparked discussion among netizens.
One netizen named Partigiano remarked, “Their drills are also our practice. Once a war breaks out, they will all be shot down.”
Another netizen, Xie Lifu, commented, “People are just here for the show, experts understand the techniques. In my view, Taiwan has received the latest air force equipment purchased from the U.S. Guess for yourself what it is. With this equipment, jets can lock onto enemy aircraft without activating radar. The U.S. F/A-18E used this to successfully ‘simulate shooting down’ the F-22 stealth fighter during exercises.”
Additional comments on the X platform reflected some netizens’ belief that the video showed Taiwan’s military could shoot down designated CCP aircraft with the press of a button.
“It has to be this way—just one missile launch away.”
“The CCP is just a paper tiger.”
“Ready and waiting, just one click away.”
Nick Schifrin, a foreign affairs and defense reporter for PBS NewsHour, posted on X platform on Saturday, citing senior military officials expressing disdain for the CCP’s activities around Taiwan. The official stated, “Every time they (CCP) conduct such exercises, we gain a deeper understanding of how their forces operate.”
“In fact, these activities demonstrate how difficult it is for the PLA (CCP military) to successfully carry out the actions they are practicing.”
With a population of 23 million, Taiwan continued its normal life during the CCP military exercises, showing no significant signs of worry among its people. For decades, Taiwanese people have grown accustomed to the CCP’s threats.