Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Taiwan scrambles French-made Mirage jets in rapid turnaround drills
Taiwan is a big island near China.
China says Taiwan belongs to it and might use force to make that happen.
Taiwan wants to stay free, so it practices being ready to defend itself.
Every year, Taiwan holds big military practice drills called the Han Kuang exercises.
This year's drills last ten days.
During the drills, soldiers practiced quickly refueling and re-arming fighter jets.
They also practiced fixing runways that could be bombed by enemies.
And they practiced protecting an airport and a big bridge near the capital city.
Practicing helps them be ready just in case.
Taiwan began its 10-day Han Kuang exercises on Wednesday, focused on combat readiness against a potential Chinese attack.
On Friday, the air force scrambled ageing French-made Mirage jets at Hsinchu air base to demonstrate rapid re-arming and return to combat.
Ground crews fitted Mirage fighters with French-made Magic II and MICA air-to-air missiles during the loading-and-mounting mission.
The air force practised repairing bomb and missile damage to runways, targeting crater repairs within four hours with civilian contractor help.
Troops also ran defence drills at Taoyuan international airport and the Danjiang Bridge, a chokepoint leading to Taipei.
- Who
- Taiwan's military, including air force officers Yang Shang-ru and Lin Chih-hsuan, who oversaw the drills.
- What
- The annual Han Kuang war games, featuring rapid re-arming of Mirage fighter jets, runway repair, and airport and bridge defence exercises.
- When
- The 10-day exercises kicked off on Wednesday, August 5, 2026; the Mirage scramble and re-armament drills took place on Friday, August 7.
- Where
- Hsinchu air base, Taoyuan's main international airport and the Danjiang Bridge in northern Taiwan.
- Why
- To demonstrate Taiwan's combat readiness against a potential attack from China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to bring it under control, by force if necessary.
Taiwan's stance
China's stance
Status of Taiwan
Taiwan's stance
Taiwan is a democratically ruled island that must maintain combat readiness against a potential Chinese attack.
China's stance
China regards Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to bring it under control, by force if necessary.
Military activity around Taiwan
Taiwan's stance
The annual drills and fighter scrambles demonstrate Taiwan's rapid response capability to defend the island.
China's stance
Beijing runs an ongoing pressure campaign, flying its air force around Taiwan on an almost daily basis.
- Event
- Han Kuang annual war games
- Duration
- 10 days
- Aircraft
- French-made Mirage fighter jets
- Missiles
- French-made Magic II and MICA air-to-air missiles
- Runway repair target
- Within 4 hours, with civilian contractor help
- Key locations
- Hsinchu air base, Taoyuan airport, Danjiang Bridge
- Danjiang Bridge
- World's longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge (opened this year)
- Escalation context
- China's air force flies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis