Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 January, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

With the Lunar New Year Holiday around the corner, the military is taking extra steps to ensure Taiwan’s safety during the long weekend. Response time for F-16s is set at six minutes, and the air force is making sure there isn’t any slack.

When the alarm starts ringing, the timer begins. Pilots rush out of the guardroom, equipment in hand, and make a beeline for their fighter jets. These F-16s only have six minutes to get off the ground and intercept any threat that might be coming Taiwan’s way.

Luckily, no one is attacking this time. This is just a defense drill to make sure military capabilities don’t slack over the Lunar New Year.

Last March, a People’s Liberation Army fighter traversed the Taiwan Strait’s median line. Yen Xiang-sheng was the pilot on duty who intercepted the jet. He says he’s intercepted his share of PLA aircraft — from bombers to fighters.    [FULL  STORY]