Taiwan Faces Urgent Fighter Pilot Shortage as Xi Tests Defenses
Increasing warplane incursions near Taiwan risk leading to a broader US-China conflict.
This article is for subscribers only.
If any war were to break out between the US and China, one trigger may be the increasingly frequent fighter-jet encounters near Taiwan.
Almost every day, Taiwanese fighter pilots hop in their American-made F-16s to intercept Chinese warplanes screaming past their territory. The encounters probe the island’s defenses and force the pilots on both sides to avoid mistakes that could lead to a crisis that spins out of control.