Taiwan Holds Massive Live-Firing War Drill Simulating Chinese Invasion
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Fri, 06/08/2018
Earlier this week, Taiwanese newspapers published reports that Taiwan’s military would be conducting a massive five-day live-fire war drill starting Monday. As of Thursday, the military exercise is currently underway and is featuring joint operations of its air force, navy, and ground troops in simulating an attack by China.
The Han Kuang war drill has been carried out annually since the mid-1980s, and its function is used to prepare the Taiwanese military for an invasion via Beijing.
Even though the live-fire military drill began with the deadly crash of a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon jet on the first day, the exercise continued across the island as scheduled throughout the week.
Taiwan simulated repulsing an invading force on Thursday at the Ching Chuan Kang air force base near the central city of Taichung. The live-fire field training exercise featured soldiers in red helmets playing the role of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops invading the airbase with helicopters while Taiwanese special forces were deployed with tanks and clashed on the airfield. There were even reports of fighter jets and attack helicopters overhead while paratroopers jumped from Lockheed C-130 Hercules planes.
President Tsai Ing-wen arrived at the Jiupeng military base Thursday to watch the air defense missile launches as part of the annual military exercises, reported Taiwan News.
Local reports said the military fired domestic-manufactured missiles, including the Tien Kung I and II, respectively middle- and long-range surface-to-air missiles, which are critical components to the islands missile shields.
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