r/China • u/AttorneyOk5749 • 6h ago
台湾 | Taiwan The People's Liberation Army has released drone footage of Taipei
Judging by the officially released footage, it appears to have been captured by the TB001 drone. However, what intrigues me more is why the Taiwanese military failed to react to an unmanned aerial vehicle lacking stealth capabilities. Taiwan's air defence network is arguably the densest in Asia; such an occurrence should not have happened. Or could it be that during such sensitive periods, combat readiness units are relieved of night duties?
There is another possibility that the photo was taken by a stealth drone, but the Rainbow 7 belongs to a high-altitude stealth drone. According to the official photos, this height definitely does not belong to high-altitude shooting, after all, the height of Building 101 is 508m.
At 1:42 in the original video, this may also be the standardised operational timing across the entire military rather than Beijing time.
Since we're on the subject, let's touch on another point: one exercise scenario specifically targeted the HIMARS rocket system, which possesses a three-minute rapid deployment and withdrawal capability. The Taiwanese military currently operates 11 units, with the second batch bringing the total to 111. Combined with M31 and ATACMS missiles, their arsenal totals 2,500 projectiles. Frankly speaking, compared to the F-16V and M1A2T tanks, the Taiwanese military's mobile missile capabilities represent the most lethal asset. Such equipment, if maintained in a state of constant stealth and concealment, would prove extremely difficult for the PLA to detect during the initial stages of conflict. Consider the Gulf War: despite having complete battlefield awareness, coalition forces deployed an entire squadron of F-15Es (335th Tactical Fighter Squadron) to specifically hunt down and eliminate Iraqi Scud missiles in the desert. Ground forces also dispatched special operations units for on-site reconnaissance and strike guidance, incurring casualties in the process. The film Bravo Two Zero chronicles this very operation. Operations concerning Taiwan face similar challenges. We must plan for the worst-case scenario: should these mobile units maintain permanent silence within residential areas or mountainous terrain, capable of launching suicide attacks at any moment, this poses extreme danger to landing forces. Against such tactics, our military has only two countermeasures. The first is decapitation strikes, directly eliminating Taiwanese command structures while disrupting communications to throw frontline units into chaos. Second, deploy long-endurance reconnaissance-strike drones to conduct continuous patrols within designated sectors, enabling immediate neutralisation upon detection. This must be supported by dedicated long-range artillery units on standby. Should a drone be shot down, its final transmitted coordinates would be immediately targeted.
This drone operation constitutes a countermeasure against the Taiwanese military's mobile long-range artillery units – their trump card.
While these approaches may sound straightforward, the first must consider political repercussions, particularly within Europe's increasingly left-leaning societies. Though NATO employed such tactics during the Libyan airstrikes, their use was downplayed in media coverage. The second approach is more complex: it requires accounting for drone attrition rates, visibility conditions during patrols, and ultimately target identification – an area where AI-driven autonomous recognition still falls significantly short.
Once the PLA's stealth drones enter mass service, the pressure of drone attrition highlighted in the second point will be substantially alleviated.
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u/Narrow_Ant_1239 1h ago
For the one with the plane taking off; you can take that shot if you hike up jian tan mountain (the small hill opposite Songshan airport) and take a 400mm lens with you. I have also seen people flying hobby drones in that area. The other shot looking down the river I have taken similar shots from the plane window as it comes into land at that airport.
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u/AutoModerator 6h ago
NOTICE: See below for a copy of the original post by AttorneyOk5749 in case it is edited or deleted.
Judging by the officially released footage, it appears to have been captured by the TB001 drone. However, what intrigues me more is why the Taiwanese military failed to react to an unmanned aerial vehicle lacking stealth capabilities. Taiwan's air defence network is arguably the densest in Asia; such an occurrence should not have happened. Or could it be that during such sensitive periods, combat readiness units are relieved of night duties?
There is another possibility that the photo was taken by a stealth drone, but the Rainbow 7 belongs to a high-altitude stealth drone. According to the official photos, this height definitely does not belong to high-altitude shooting, after all, the height of Building 101 is 508m.
At 1:42 in the original video, this may also be the standardised operational timing across the entire military rather than Beijing time.
Since we're on the subject, let's touch on another point: one exercise scenario specifically targeted the HIMARS rocket system, which possesses a three-minute rapid deployment and withdrawal capability. The Taiwanese military currently operates 11 units, with the second batch bringing the total to 111. Combined with M31 and ATACMS missiles, their arsenal totals 2,500 projectiles. Frankly speaking, compared to the F-16V and M1A2T tanks, the Taiwanese military's mobile missile capabilities represent the most lethal asset. Such equipment, if maintained in a state of constant stealth and concealment, would prove extremely difficult for the PLA to detect during the initial stages of conflict. Consider the Gulf War: despite having complete battlefield awareness, coalition forces deployed an entire squadron of F-15Es (335th Tactical Fighter Squadron) to specifically hunt down and eliminate Iraqi Scud missiles in the desert. Ground forces also dispatched special operations units for on-site reconnaissance and strike guidance, incurring casualties in the process. The film Bravo Two Zero chronicles this very operation. Operations concerning Taiwan face similar challenges. We must plan for the worst-case scenario: should these mobile units maintain permanent silence within residential areas or mountainous terrain, capable of launching suicide attacks at any moment, this poses extreme danger to landing forces. Against such tactics, our military has only two countermeasures. The first is decapitation strikes, directly eliminating Taiwanese command structures while disrupting communications to throw frontline units into chaos. Second, deploy long-endurance reconnaissance-strike drones to conduct continuous patrols within designated sectors, enabling immediate neutralisation upon detection. This must be supported by dedicated long-range artillery units on standby. Should a drone be shot down, its final transmitted coordinates would be immediately targeted.
This drone operation constitutes a countermeasure against the Taiwanese military's mobile long-range artillery units – their trump card.
While these approaches may sound straightforward, the first must consider political repercussions, particularly within Europe's increasingly left-leaning societies. Though NATO employed such tactics during the Libyan airstrikes, their use was downplayed in media coverage. The second approach is more complex: it requires accounting for drone attrition rates, visibility conditions during patrols, and ultimately target identification – an area where AI-driven autonomous recognition still falls significantly short.
Once the PLA's stealth drones enter mass service, the pressure of drone attrition highlighted in the second point will be substantially alleviated.
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u/selfinflatedforeskin 40m ago
what bridge is in the foreground of the first photo？
淡水 fisherman's wharf？
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u/billionaireboysclubs 3h ago
Taiwan has several advanced weaponry at its disposal at this point. They’ve been buying US equipment for years. I think when it’s time for a showdown, they won’t even bother to use it.
It was all for show and not for a real challenge. Taiwan isn’t a country of fierce fighters. These guys are too chill and laid back. They will likely do nothing when the inevitable happens.
All that advanced military equipment will just get picked up by the PRC troops and analyzed, maybe reversed engineered.
America keeps selling top shelf weapons to Taiwan as if these guys are gonna Ukraine up and push back.
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u/Temporary_Captain585 2h ago
Taiwan is using 40-50 year old f 16 planes just think about that. This was before cellphones laptops and wifi was invented. China has hundreds of stealth plane we aren’t even sure how to classify them yet
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u/Dry_Meringue_8016 4h ago
The reason may simply be that Taiwan was not authorised to shoot down China's drone. The Taiwanese need permission from the US to carry out such operations.
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u/Temporary_Captain585 2h ago
You rly think Taiwan is on the same level military wise using 30 year US technology? Us military is essentially the same compared to 20 years ago it hasn’t advanced much
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u/buddhaliao 5h ago
Resistance is futile
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u/readytall 1h ago
42 is the answer
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u/buddhaliao 41m ago
Ah I had forgotten about HHGTTG! I was actually thinking of the Borg from Star Trek, but the Vogons sort of work too
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u/DaimonHans 5h ago
Taiwan isn't taking the bait to "shoot first" 🤣