Rare! A U.S. KC-46 tanker confronted the CCP drone in Eluanbi in the south and was forcefully driven away by the Chinese Air Force.

The picture shows the U.S. Air Force KC-46A tanker. (Reuters)

[Reporter Cai Zongxian/Pingtung Report] Confrontations in the airspace around the Taiwan Strait continue. At about 11:50 am yesterday (20th), the southwest airspace (TAIWAN ADIZ) reappeared in a tense confrontation! The Chinese Communist drone suddenly appeared in the airspace and drove away the US military KC-46 aerial tanker. The US military aircraft immediately responded via radio to emphasize "international navigation rights." The Chinese Communist drone and related military aircraft that broke into our air defense identification zone were also forcefully driven away by the Chinese Air Force using bilingual broadcasts in Chinese and English. The Chinese Communist drone then turned to the southeastern waters of Taiwan and continued to advance.

A U.S. KC-46 tanker confronts a CCP drone in the south of Eluanbi. (Extracted from Aviation Network)

According to real-time flight tracks and images, the US military KC-46 tanker was flying from east to west at an altitude of 25,100 feet; the Chinese drone was coming from west to east at an altitude of 26,500 feet. The two sides almost crossed each other head-on in the air. Faced with the approaching provocation of the Chinese Communist drone, the US military aircraft immediately responded via radio, emphasizing the enforcement of legal navigation rights in international airspace. The Chinese military aircraft that broke into our ADIZ were subsequently driven away by the Chinese Air Force's broadcast.

Military fan expert "TAIWAN ADIZ" pointed out that when KC-46 tankers appear, they are often accompanied by fighter groups from behind for tactical support. Faced with this rare incident of a drone approaching a U.S. military aircraft, if the drone had not been operated, the pilot might have been surrounded by a group of U.S. military aircraft. The tension on the scene was absolutely off the charts. Fortunately, no further conflict broke out between the two sides.