2025/05/18
Ministry of National Defense Statement on the PLA’s Joint Combat Readiness Patrol
Time: 1210 hours, May 18, 2025
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated today (May 18) that, starting at 0850 hours, a total of 18 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft—including J-16 fighter jets, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, various combat and support aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—were successively detected conducting operations in the vicinity of Taiwan. Of these, 13 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and its extension, entering the northern, southwestern, and eastern airspace, in coordination with PLA naval vessels, as part of a joint combat readiness patrol.
The Republic of China (ROC) Armed Forces closely monitored the situation using integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems and responded appropriately by dispatching mission aircraft and naval vessels and deploying shore-based missile systems.