Taiwan: rare sighting of mainland Chinese helicopter points to test of island defences

Helicopter drill may be part of anti-sub exercise as 23 PLA aircraft and seven vessels detected near strait in 24 hours from Sunday morning

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A photo from December shows a PLA helicopter during a maritime training exercise. Taiwan reports helicopters among PLA aircraft flying near the island this week. Photo: PLA

Published: 10:00am, 26 Jun 2024Updated: 10:41am, 26 Jun 2024

Taiwan’s rare reporting of a long-distance helicopter drill by the People’s Liberation Army is likely to be another sign of the mainland Chinese military increasing its anti-submarine exercises.

A helicopter near the northeastern coast of the island flew as close as 45 nautical miles (83km) to the coastal city of Keelung during a two-hour patrol on Sunday afternoon, according to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence.

PLA helicopter operations were also detected and reported near southeastern Taiwan on five consecutive days between last Tuesday and Saturday although over shorter distances. PLA air activities reported by the ministry around the island are usually dominated by fighter jets and drones.

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Analysts said long-haul helicopter patrols were rarely reported, but not all PLA movements are tracked and identified by the Taiwan military.

Mainland China has been carrying out almost daily military activities near the Taiwan Strait since August 2022. Some 23 PLA aircraft and seven vessels were detected in a 24-hour period starting on Sunday morning, including another helicopter near southern Taiwan.

Taipei said 19 aircraft, including the two helicopters, had entered the island’s air-defence identification zone to the north, east and southwest.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the helicopter operating east of the self-ruled island was likely to be shipborne.

“It is common practice [that] if you have a warship out there and you’re on anti-submarine warfare duty, you will usually send a helicopter on its way,” he said.