A new research report from RAND says China now has the lead in military aircraft capabilities over Taiwan and can now destroy the Republic of China Air Force’s (RoCAF) fleet at their bases.
Illustration: RAND
The think tank went on to suggest that Taiwan divests some of its existing fighter force and shift those money on developing its air defense missile capabilities.
The authors suggest Taiwan to have a short-range air defense system using ground-launched air-to-air missiles to complement its long-range Patriot/Sky Bow air defense systems.
Such a air defense umbrella will make it difficult for China to counteract and poses a serious challenge to PLA.