China's "Justice Mission 2025" exercises, conducted from 29 to 30 December 2025, marked the sixth major military drill around Taiwan since 2022, involving the People's Liberation Army's air force, navy, army, and rocket forces across five designated zones.

These manoeuvres simulated blockades, live-fire operations, and control of key ports, aimed at projecting Beijing's dominance over the Taiwan Strait amid heightened tensions.

The drills followed a US$11 billion US arms sale to Taiwan and Japanese statements linking a potential Chinese blockade to national survival, underscoring the geopolitical flashpoint.

Beijing released footage to emphasise its missile launches and air superiority, portraying readiness to encircle and seize Taiwan while intimidating global observers. State messaging framed the exercises as a stern warning against separatism, with psychological operations targeting Taiwanese morale.

Yet, this display of might quickly unravelled when Taiwanese forces countered effectively, exposing vulnerabilities in China's advanced platforms.

Taiwanese F-16V Viper fighters, upgraded with US-supplied advanced avionics including AN/APG-83 AESA radars and Sniper targeting pods, achieved radar locks on PLA J-16 multirole fighters during the exercises.

Footage shared by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence showed these fourth-generation jets silently tracking the J-16s, contradicting Chinese claims of superior stealth and jamming resistance. Had Taiwan opted for engagement, multiple J-16s could have been downed, revealing a stark performance gap.

The J-16, a Flanker derivative touted by Beijing for its AESA radar with 200-250 km detection range and electronic warfare suites, proved trackable by Taiwan's upgraded F-16Vs.

These Vipers feature passive detection via infrared search and track systems alongside active radars, allowing silent locks without emissions that could alert foes. This incident highlights how real-world integration of sensors and tactics can neutralise hyped capabilities.

Taiwan leveraged social media strategically, disseminating images and videos of the locks to boost domestic morale and wage narrative warfare against Beijing. This transparent approach reassures citizens of readiness while subtly undermining PLA invincibility claims. Analysts note it as a sophisticated deterrent, blending operational demos with information operations.

Defence experts view this as emblematic of China's rhetoric-reality disconnect, where boasts of superiority falter under scrutiny. Parallels emerge with Russia's Ukrainian setbacks, where numerical edges yielded to tactical proficiency and resolve from smaller forces. Overconfidence in untested systems risks strategic embarrassment for Beijing in any Taiwan campaign.

Taiwan's posture, fortified by US arms and allied support, maintains the balance despite China's asset volume. International scrutiny, including from Japan, amplifies the costs of escalation. These episodes serve as checks on aggression, affirming that preparation trumps propaganda in contested skies.

Agencies
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