Taiwan Air Force blasted for not reacting to Russian warplane

Mar 23, 2010, 2:19 GMT

Taipei - The Taiwan Air Force has been blasted for not reacting to a Russian military aircraft's incursion into Taiwan's airspace, a newspaper said Tuesday.

The Apple Daily, quoting an unnamed military source, said a Russian Tupolev TU-95 long-range strategic bomber entered Taiwan airspace in late January.

The move threatened Taiwan's security because the jet was able to carry 15 tons of ammunition, including missiles, and it could have attacked - or accidentally drop ammunition on - a Taiwan city, the source said.

Taiwan warplanes did not scramble to intercept the Russian jet, confirm its identity or escort it out of Taiwan airspace, the source said.

When the Apple Daily questioned the Air Force headquarters, an Air Force official confirmed that the Russian bomber 'temporarily' entered Taiwan airspace but said the entry was harmless.

'We asked it to explain its intention, but the jet quickly turned around and flew in the direction of Japan's Okinawa islands,' the paper quoted the unnamed official as saying.

'As we determined it was harmless passage, we did not send warplanes to intercept it.'