Analysis: Chinese Helicopter Flight Could Signal New Gray-Zone Strategy
TaiwanPlus spoke with Tamkang University Assistant Professor Chieh Chung on how a recent flight by a Chinese military helicopter appears to be the first known case of a PLA helicopter not only crossing the median line in the narrow part of the strait, but also continuing eastward instead of immediately turning back. He said the maneuver raises concerns that China could be testing a new pattern of operations before conducting more frequent, or even routine, helicopter flights near the median line.
Helicopter Incursion Across Taiwan Strait
REPORTER:
In an unusual move, a military helicopter has crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and operated in restricted air space.
While helicopters have been spotted in this area before, defense researcher Chieh Chung says it's the first time one has flown beyond the median line, coming closer to Taiwan's main island. The median line is an unofficial boundary in the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan and China. Military aircraft often operate near Taiwan, with the defense ministry detecting 5 other helicopter sorties since Monday.
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Researcher: First Helicopter Seen Crossing Line
REPORTER:
On Tuesday, military helicopters crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and operated in a restricted zone, for the first time according to a researcher.
After crossing the median line, the helicopter continued to operate in a restricted airspace zone on the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait. A researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research said he thought the tactic is a new form of grey zone warfare, hostile actions that do not rise to the level of outright conflict. Military helicopters frequently operate near Taiwan, with the defense ministry detecting 5 other helicopter sorties across Tuesday and Wednesday.
Helicopter Incursion
REPORTER:
Since August 2022, when the Chinese military began to significantly step up its gray-zone activities around Taiwan, this may be the first time we've seen something noticeably different. Chinese military aircraft, including helicopters, previously did not directly cross the Taiwan Strait where it is relatively narrow. And the helicopter that crossed the median line did not immediately turn back west after crossing.
In its long-distance flight, it crossed the military's R9 restricted zone, which is to the east of the Taiwan Strait's median line.
This kind of behavior is the first of its kind in China's pattern of gray-zone actions toward Taiwan.
Chieh Chung (ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TAMKANG UNIVERSITY):
One possibility is that the [China] is already planning to conduct intermittent or even routine oversea helicopter exercises near the median line of the Taiwan Strait in the future.
Up until now, however, [China] has never conducted this type of oversea helicopter training from the Fujian coast opposite Taiwan. And it has never approached or crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait during such exercises. That's why we can't completely rule out the possibility that yesterday's flight was intended as a trial run, a small-scale test to see how such operations might be carried out.
I'm quite concerned that this may have been a small-scale trial of a future PLA operational concept. The question is whether this small-scale test is a precursor to larger, more frequent or even routine helicopter training missions over the sea near the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
When looking at [China's] plans for a joint landing operation against Taiwan, a traditional amphibious assault with troops arriving by landing craft would face many limitations.
But if troops enter by air, they do not need to worry about whether beach conditions are suitable.
[China's military] wants more than half of the first wave of ground assault forces to enter by helicopter and transport planes flying directly over the coast and bypass the defensive zones that Taiwan's military would set up on the coast.
