PINGTUNG (TVBS News) — Taiwan's military held live-fire drills on Wednesday (Sept. 20) for the 3-day-long Lien Yung exercise unfolding at Pingtung's Tri-Service Joint Training Base.
The drill, which began Tuesday evening, featured an impressive show of firepower, with Apache helicopters firing off 100 30-caliber rounds. Continuing the exercise on Wednesday, two Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF) were seen entering the arena, dropping practice bombs and flares.
Military enthusiasts gathered near the field as rows of military vehicles were spotted during the Sixth Army Corps' 584th Brigade drills. Continual artillery sounds boomed, and Apache helicopters practiced launching Hydra 70 Rockets.
This robust display comes from heightened activities by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) near Taiwan, reaching a new record of 103 Chinese warplanes circling the area between Sept. 17 and Sept. 18.
The total was further bolstered by 55 aircraft detected on Sept. 19. In the face of these activities, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense says they are fully prepared.