Taiwanese Jet Fighters Showcased Landing Skills in Annual Drill

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Taiwan flexed its military muscle, as jet fighters tested their emergency landing skills as part of the island's biggest annual military drill. Taiwan has long been on the lookout for an attack from mainland China, which claims the island as its own.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's jet fighters carried out emergency landings on a cleared section of freeway as part of the island's biggest annual military drill.

The emergency landing drill simulated a response to a possible invasion by the Chinese army after coastal airports have been paralyzed.

A section of the Chungshan Expressway in the southern city of Tainan was cleared overnight and transformed into a runway.

[Colonel Lee Wen-yu, Taiwan Air Force]:
"We have to clear the surface, we have to establish this communication network, we have to set up all the arrest hook, sorry, arresting aids, so to make sure all the aircraft are operated under very safe environment."

Dozens of soldiers swept the freeway with brooms to clear the surface of debris, and special sound frequencies were played from a vehicle driven through the area to clear the birds.

The military showcased the landing of air force fighters with two F-16s, two Mirage-2000s, and two Taiwan-made Indigenous Defense Fighters, while the army's helicopters provided support with observation, cover, and supply.

[Colonel Lee Wen-yu, Taiwan Air Force]:
"We are not only utilizing our air force, but we combine the army, the aviation troops."

China has claimed Taiwan as its own since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and vowed to bring the island under its rule, by force if necessary.

The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, recognizing "one China," but remains the island's biggest ally and arms supplier.