As part of the assets deployed by the Taiwanese Armed Forces to monitor the activity of the naval and air forces of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Taiwanese Air Force deployed F-16V (Block 70) fighter patrols, along with other combat aircraft, to safeguard the island’s airspace. During one of these patrols, an F-16V detected and monitored the flight of a J-15 carrier-based fighter belonging to the Liaoning aircraft carrier’s air wing, which is participating in the Joint Sword 2024B exercises.
This exercise, which took the region by surprise yesterday, involved a total of 125 aircraft and 34 ships from both the PLA Navy (PLAN) and the Coast Guard. Unlike the first phase of this deployment, carried out in May, this time Chinese military forces concentrated on smaller areas, coordinating combined operations.
However, what stood out in Joint Sword 2024B were the different objectives and missions compared to the first phase. This time, the drills included air and sea readiness patrols, blockades of key ports and strategic areas, and coordinated operations to secure air and maritime superiority, with long-range precision strikes on critical targets.
Images showed how patrols of J-15 fighters from the PLA Navy’s Naval Aviation, operating from the Liaoning (CV-16) aircraft carrier, were monitored by the SNIPER ATP (Advanced Targeting Pod), part of the Taiwanese F-16V’s equipment.
The presence of the Liaoning carrier in the exercise comes as it is wrapping up its sea trials, having operated in the central and southern South China Sea since early September. Since the ship was located in the Western Pacific, near Japan’s Ryukyu island chain and northeast of Taiwan, it is believed it remained in the area until the Joint Sword 2024 drills began.
During the exercise, Chinese Navy footage showed a J-15 taking off from the Liaoning at dusk, later confirmed by Taiwanese videos in which the F-16Vs of the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) revealed a distinctive aerodynamic surface on the J-15’s main wing.
Other Taiwanese assets monitoring Chinese military movements included the Albatross unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle, PHL-16/PCL-191 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and mobile anti-ship cruise missile batteries. Other aircraft detected during the exercise included the H-6K bomber, J-10C, J-16, and a J-20 stealth fighter from the PLA Air Force (PLAAF).
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