China has stationed obsolete supersonic fighters converted into attack drones at six air bases near the Taiwan Strait, according to a report by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Satellite imagery in the February report, China Airpower Tracker, shows rows of compact, swept-wing aircraft resembling J-6 fighters—jets first introduced in the 1960s. These converted drones have been identified at five bases in Fujian Province and one in Guangdong Province.
Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow J. Michael Dahm estimates the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed 200 or more of these aircraft to support the early stages of a potential assault on Taiwan. Rather than functioning like traditional remotely piloted drones, they are expected to operate more like cruise missiles, launched in large numbers to strike Taiwanese, U.S., or allied targets.
The J-6 has a top speed of about Mach 1.3, a range of roughly 700 kilometres, and can carry a payload of around 250 kilograms, according to the South China Morning Post.
Analysts and Taiwanese officials assess that a key purpose of these drones is to exhaust Taiwan’s air defences by forcing the use of expensive interceptor missiles against outdated but fast-moving targets.
In response, Taiwan’s defence ministry is accelerating plans to deploy next-generation counter-drone systems. The development reflects China’s broader military buildup aimed at a possible Taiwan contingency.
These repurposed aircraft could be used in coordinated, multi-vector attacks on air bases and defence systems. Taiwan currently fields 21 advanced air and missile defence batteries, with further expansion planned by 2026.
Source: Asia Times