Taiwan’s air force showcased its ability to rapidly resupply and return its most advanced F-16 fighter jets to the skies during a readiness drill on Wednesday (Jan. 28), highlighting the military’s focus on combat-oriented training.
The drill comes amid almost daily scrambles by Taiwan’s air force to monitor and intercept Chinese aircraft, which frequently fly near the island. Taipei views these incursions as part of a sustained campaign to test and exhaust its smaller forces while exerting political pressure.
At Chiayi air base in southern Taiwan, personnel loaded US-made AIM-9M Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles onto a Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jet, demonstrating how quickly the aircraft can be refuelled and rearmed for immediate action.
“This ensures that, in the shortest possible time, the aircraft can complete ammunition resupply and refuelling and quickly go out on the attack,” weapons loading officer Wu Bo-jhih told reporters.
Pilot Shih Shun-de emphasized the importance of public demonstrations. “The scramble drill lets the public see the results of the air force’s realistic, combat-oriented training,” he said.
President Lai Ching-te’s administration has been pushing for more practical defence training as part of a broader modernisation programme. Speaking at a promotion ceremony for senior officers on Wednesday, Lai said Taiwan’s military must focus on flexibility and realism.
“At the same time, we must develop a range of enemy-defeating strategies with agility, using technology and artificial intelligence to build a defence force that is effective, credible, and modernised,” he said.
The drills, routinely held ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday, were the first open to the media since China conducted war games around Taiwan in late December.
Repeated scrambles not only allow Taiwan to respond quickly to Chinese air incursions but also give pilots invaluable experience in observing China’s tactics firsthand. While the two sides have not engaged in combat for decades, the exercises echo the tense air encounters of the Cold War era over the Taiwan Strait.
China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, despite strong objections from Taipei, making rapid response capabilities a central component of the island’s defence strategy.
