Multiple sources have indicated that the Chinese government is repositioning military assets in a manner that signals potential future activity around Taiwan. The reports originate from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, an organization specializing in tracking China’s military capabilities.
A senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute stated: “We are concerned by the increased pressure from Beijing, including military activity around Taiwan.”
According to the China Airpower Tracker, lines of typically retired Chinese fighter jets have drawn suspicion from experts. The J-6 fighter (also known as the Shenyang J-6) was first developed in the late 1950s and retired by China in the late 1990s. However, recent evidence suggests China is retrofitting these obsolete fighters to operate as unmanned craft and deploying them at six air bases near the Taiwan Strait.
The institute’s senior fellow, J. Michael Dahm, reported that approximately 200 of these outdated aircraft are being converted into drones. The drones could be used to “attack Taiwan, U.S., or allied targets in large numbers, effectively overwhelming air defenses,” he claimed.
The Mitchell Institute is not the only entity observing anomalies in China’s military posture. In a March 17 report, Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies noted “small swept-wing aircraft parked on the same apron” as newer J-16 multi-role fighters at Zhangzhou’s Longtian Airport—presumed to be J-6 fighters equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks.
The institute concluded that “there is no immediately apparent rational explanation for the presence of J-6s at forward airfields. The coexistence of state-of-the-art multi-role fighters and obsolete fighters cannot be explained simply by a fleet modernization program. Rather, it suggests that they may be assigned different missions.” Noting that the J-6 is no longer capable of enduring modern air-to-air combat, the report stated it is “not technically implausible” that such aircraft could be recommissioned after conversion to an unmanned configuration.
Additionally, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) expressed concern in a recent Taiwan briefing: “We are concerned by the increased pressure from Beijing, including military activity around Taiwan that raises the risk of miscalculation.”
Taiwanese Deputy Minister Hsu Szu-chien stated he hopes the United States will expedite arm sales to his country. He added: “This would greatly facilitate our efforts to secure funding for the special defense budget.”
The United States is also preparing an arm sales package for Taiwan valued at $14 billion.
