A H-6 strategic bomber attached to a bomber regiment of the naval aviation force under the PLA Southern Theater Command takes off for a recent realistic flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Gao Hongwei)

The annual Tien Lung drill in Taiwan island aimed at bolstering its defense and morale was mocked by military experts as a show that will take a toll on its outmoded jets and wear out its pilots. They said it won't change the sharp military disparity between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. 

Taiwan media cited sources as saying that the drill will be staged from Monday to October 29. Source also said that the Taiwan air force's F-16Vs, Mirage-2000s, and Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs) will take part in the annual maneuvers, which will also include competitive testing of the air force's air-to-ground, air-to-sea, air-to-air, and land-based combat skills.

The decision to host the bulk of the drills in Jiadong is designed for the island's ability to defend Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone, according to Taiwan media. 

The combat aircraft expected to participate in the Tien Lung drill are mostly light- or medium-weight and no heavy fighters, which means they all have similar functions. And the technologies used on those fighters lag behind the mainland's advanced stealth fighter jets, Fu Qianshao, a military aviation expert, told the Global Times. He noted that Taiwan is daydreaming to think it can use those weapons against the mainland. 

Moreover, the quantity and quality of equipment of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force, land force and navy far outnumber and outpace that of Taiwan, not to mention that the PLA is also continuously improving its combat ability, warned Fu, citing the PLA's large-scale drill in the Taiwan Straits in early October. 

As of press time, more than 150 PLA aircraft have held drills in Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone, between Taiwan island and the Dongsha Islands, since October. Many of them are advanced J-16 fighter jets and H-6 bombers, and experts said more will join similar exercises in the future.

Fu also pointed out that the drill by the island is intended to jive with Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen's recent separatist comments, and in response to the PLA's foray over Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone.

Taiwan's defense authority reported that PLA aircraft have been entering the zone since Saturday. 

Fu called the PLA's moves an "effective and necessary" deterrent to Taiwan, and that the PLA has caused great pressure on the Taiwan air force. 

The expert also said that the drill will take a toll on Taiwan's outmoded fighters, and tire its pilots. "With Taiwan's military personnel overstretched, how effective can the drill be if a group of burned out people participate?" Fu asked, noting that due to huge disparities in power, Taiwan would not be able to resist the mainland if reunification is to be achieved by force. "The drill is just for show."