Taiwan scrambles French-made jets in rapid turnaround drills during annual war games

(Reuters) ་་་་

HSINCHU, Taiwan Aug 7 – Taiwan scrambled its ​ageing French-made Mirage fighter jets on Friday during annual war games designed to demonstrate how the aircraft could be ‌rapidly re-armed and sent back into the skies during any conflict with China.

Taiwan kicked off the Han Kuang exercises on Wednesday. Lasting 10 days, the drills focus on Taiwan’s combat readiness against a potential attack from China, which regards the democratically ruled island as its own territory and has vowed to bring it under ​its control, by force if necessary.

Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

On a defence ministry-organised trip to the Hsinchu air base in ​northern Taiwan, the crew attached Magic II and MICA air-to-air missiles, also French made, underneath a Mirage fighter.

Air ⁠force officer Yang Shang-ru said the “loading-and-mounting” mission was a very important part of combat operations.

“After an aircraft completes its mission in the ​air, information on the fuel and ammunition it has expended is relayed from the control tower to the ground crew here,” he said.

“We complete ​the necessary preparations in advance and remain on standby. Once the aircraft taxis back, we rapidly complete its servicing and rearmament so that it can quickly return to the air on an emergency basis to carry out combat missions.”