Chinese 'twin-tailed scorpion' drone flies around Taiwan amid tensions
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Taiwan's Defense Ministry says the advanced drone passed between the island and the Philippines.
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Chinese TB-001 'twin-tailed scorpion' drone (Chinese social media)
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said a Chinese TB-001 advanced drone carrying heavy weapons flew around the island, claiming that the drone was one of 19 Chinese military aircraft that crossed into the island's so-called "air defense identification zone (ADIZ)," The Guardian reported on Friday.
The drone flew over the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, then to the east of the island before making its way back home.
Despite routinely sending aircraft into the area, a full encirclement around the island is very rare.
The TB-001, as per China, is referred to as the “twin-tailed scorpion". The massive drone can fly at very high altitudes and carries long-range missiles.
Earlier this month, China launched military drills around Taiwan in a stern warning to the Taiwanese government following a meeting between the island's leader and the US House speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Operation "United Sharp Sword" lasted for three days, and included rehearsals on an encirclement of the Island off the coast of China.
Read more: Taiwan FM warns of conflict with China in 2027
Earlier this week, the US Congress conducted a simulation wargame to test America's ability to hold ground on the island in case of a Chinese military operation.
The simulation, organized by the House Select Committee on China, found that the US was unable to deter Beijing, which was able to launch the first strike.
Hinting at the United States' readiness for a direct clash with Beijing over the island, the wargame also saw American forces sinking 80 Chinese naval vessels, but the attacking forces were able "to gain a lodgment with about 80,000 troops on Taiwan," a source briefed on the simulation to Free Beacon news outlet.
The head of the committee, which was established by Republicans earlier this year when the party took control over the House of Representatives, told the site that the simulation is a forewarning that the US must "arm Taiwan to the teeth before any crisis begins."
