Update: US Navy C-40 reported flying directly over Taiwan

US Navy C-40a flies inland over Taiwan's west coast before heading to Dongsha Island in South China Sea

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/09
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A U.S. Navy transport jet was sighted flying directly over Taiwan on Tuesday morning (June 9) and was last spotted flying towards Taiwan's Dongsha Islands (Pratas Islands) in the South China Sea.

Aircraft spotting sites AirNav RadarBox and planefinder, in addition to Twitter user Golf9, spotted a U.S. Navy Boeing C-40a Clipper taking off from Okinawa, likely Kadena Air Base, at 8:53 a.m. Tuesday morning. The plane, which has the call number CNV7642, appeared to fly directly over northern Taiwan, turning south to flying along the island's west coast.

The plane's flight path took it over Keelung, New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, and Chiayi before exiting over Tainan and heading toward the open sea, according to AirNav RadarBox.

The jet was last spotted flying toward Taiwan's Dongsha Islands (Pratas Islands) in the northern part of the South China Sea. When Golf9 spotted the jet, he wrote that its route directly over Taiwan's west coast was a "rare flight course."    [FULL  STORY]