Amid rising tensions with China, Taiwan began three days of joint military exercises on January 7 to show off its military readiness. In addition to attack simulation and rapid response, the military also showed off its formidable Patriot AD system.
According to media reports, the first day of the joint exercise simulated an attack by enemy special forces against critical infrastructure in the Hsinchu region, included pre-emptive combat and encirclement maneuvers, and triggered a contingency mechanism with support operations by troops. It was done.
The exercise, part of the 2025 Enhanced Combat Readiness Media Invitational Event, demonstrated how quickly the military can mount defenses against potential threats to domestic strategic objectives. The military simulated an enemy drone incursion and countered it with UAV reconnaissance and a coordinated response that included AH-64E Apache helicopters and CM11 Brave Tiger tanks.
The next day, January 8, Taiwan also demonstrated its Patriot missile defense system during a training exercise at one of its largest air bases in Taichung, a rare opportunity to observe the system, as reported by TaiwanPlus News. access was granted. A video of the Taiwanese military operating the PAC-3 has been released. Taiwan has nearly a dozen of these units, scattered in major cities and military bases.
Maj. Lee Kuan Yew, company commander of the 795th Air Defense Brigade, told reporters as he stood in front of one of the PAC-3 Patriot missile defense systems. We try to choose a suitable location with good concealment and sufficient space. There are also support units that can help you in real time while you are on the move. We primarily use computer systems in our command center to assess targets and decide how to attack them. ”
In addition to the Patriot, the Taiwanese Air Force has demonstrated how to rearm and resupply fighter aircraft during the war. On the final day, January 9, the military reportedly conducted anti-submarine training off the coast of Kaohsiung Port. This is considered the best route for resupplying troops should China establish a beachhead in a heavily fortified area.
These military exercises come as China’s military presence in the Taiwan Strait increases as part of China’s “gray zone” tactics, which seek to reduce Taiwan’s defenses without starting a full-scale war. Ta.
China considers Taiwan a rebel province and has vowed to reunite the autonomous island nation with mainland China. This means that a Chinese military attack in the Taiwan Strait is a realistic scenario.
Taiwan has been preparing for such a situation. In recent months, it has ramped up its military activities, simulating military responses to a possible Chinese attack and testing the resilience and efficiency of its defenses. China’s increasing aggressiveness and “gray zone tactics” against Taiwan are forcing Taiwan to strengthen its air defenses.
The Patriot missile defense system is considered critical to Taiwan in the event of a war with China. However, this system has not yet been tested against stealth fighters, so it is difficult to predict how it will perform against China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon.
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Military analysts say Taiwan, facing an overwhelming airpower disadvantage, has abandoned plans to challenge the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) for air superiority and instead destroyed Chinese aircraft and thwarted Chinese attacks. We believe it is necessary to implement a phased air denial strategy. We will quickly take control of the island.
TaiIsland manages the Patriot Advanced Capability 2 (PAC-2) and PAC-3 guided enhanced missile (GEM) systems. In 2022, the United States approved a potential US$100 million sale of equipment and services to Taiwan to “sustain, maintain, and improve” the Patriot missile defense system.
Patriot is a mobile ground-based missile defense interceptor capable of identifying, tracking, and intercepting cruise missiles, short-range or tactical ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Patriot system has four main components: an interceptor missile, a launcher, an engagement control center, and a radar set.
The system has become widely popular in Ukraine, where it reportedly shot down a Russian hypersonic missile that Russian President Vladimir Putin had predicted was invincible. Hypersonic missiles are believed to be able to penetrate air defense systems due to their speed and unpredictable flight path.
China is wary of Patriot, as evidenced by its firm opposition to the deployment of PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missiles at the Miyakojima facility in Miyakojima City, Okinawa Prefecture.

That said, Beijing currently maintains a fleet of more than 200 J-20 fighter jets, which encourages potential adversaries to “think twice” before challenging the power of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. This is a frightening number that could be forced. Chinese experts argue that the J-20’s combination of stealth, radar capabilities, and long-range missiles could give the People’s Air Force a significant advantage in a potential conflict.
Stealth fighters are difficult to detect due to their small radar cross section (RCS). This allows them to launch a pre-emptive strike without being detected. If China were to invade Taiwan, it could send J-20s to destroy key targets on the island, including air defense systems, early warning radars, command and control centers, and fighter jets parked in hangars. .
This is where the Patriot missile defense system comes into play. According to some reports, Patriot’s flat phased array radar produces a relatively narrow, highly agile beam that can identify targets with low radar cross sections such as cruise missiles and stealth aircraft. The same goes for ballistic missiles.
When asked if the Patriots could detect the J-20, a PLA expert who requested anonymity told EuroAsian Times: But the very idea that something is “completely invisible” is absurd. Depending on the situation, any stealth aircraft can be detected. ”

If China’s claims are true, the J-20 flew over Taiwan without being detected by Taiwan’s air defenses. In January 2023, a J-20 pilot claimed to have flown undetected over Taiwan.
The pilot said on a CCTV broadcast that he flew over Taiwan and looked down on the entire island from the cockpit. It also informed the agency that the aircraft flew over the Bashi Strait, Miyako Strait and Tsushima Strait in the East China Sea.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) regularly posts updates on intrusions by People’s Liberation Army Air Force military aircraft, but did not mention the J-20 at the time.
Since then, Chinese J-20s have been deployed in several People’s Liberation Army exercises simulating a siege of the island of Taiwan and an island invasion.