Taipei [Taiwan], May 16 (ANI): Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Friday detected 21 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and 6 People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels near its territory.

Of the 21 aircraft, all crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's northern, southwestern, and eastern air defence identification zones (ADIZ).

Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, 21 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 21 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded.'

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1923181607847870640

MND on Thursday detected 29 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, nine People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels, and two ships detected around the island as of 6 am (UTC+8).

Eighteen of the aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the island's northern and southwestern ADIZ.

Meanwhile, to bolster air defence preparedness, Taiwan conducted the live-fire debut of Land Sword II.As per the MND, Land Sword II possesses the capability of countering varied aerial threats, thereby significantly enhancing the protection of the force.

In the visuals shared by the MND, the live-firing of the Missile System could be seen, with videos showcasing the its launch.'Land Sword II makes its live fire debut. This SAM system is capable of countering diverse aerial threats and significantly enhances force protection for #ROCArmy,' MND wrote on X on Tuesday.

This development follows after Taiwan had conducted its first live-firing of the American-supplied high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) at a base in Pingtung County on Monday, as reported by Focus Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, the drill was carried out by the Taiwan Army's 58th Artillery Command, which was held at the Jiupeng Base in Manjhou Township.

It further noted that the HIMARS can be equipped with one pod containing six 227mm rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of up to 300 kilometres.

In total, 33 rockets were fired, with 11 launch vehicles each firing three rounds. The military, however, did not provide any details on how the drills went, Focus Taiwan reported.

Taiwan has purchased 29 HIMARS from the United States, and the first shipment of 11 was delivered in 2024. According to a Ministry of National Defence report submitted to the Legislative Yuan in March, the second batch of 18 HIMARS is scheduled to be delivered next year instead of 2027 as was originally planned. (ANI)