Taiwan Air Force to Begin Annual Sky Dragon Drills Monday: F-16Vs, Mirage 2000-5s and IDFs to Train Through Friday
Taiwan's Air Force will begin its annual Tien Lung, or Sky Dragon, drills on Monday, November 2, running through Friday to test pilots' combat skills and ground-based logistical support, a military source told the Central News Agency (CNA) on November 1.
According to the source, the drills will test pilots' air-to-air, air-to-sea and air-to-ground combat skills using the Air Force's main fighter aircraft, the F-16V, the Mirage 2000-5 and the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF). The exercises will focus on aerial interceptions and the use of the aerial gunnery target system (AGTS), and will simulate pilots scrambling their aircraft at short notice, identifying targets, firing missiles at them and conducting mock dogfights with enemy aircraft.
As in previous years, the Air Force will also select flying aces in different categories, including aerial combat and precision.
The source added that the Tien Lung exercises will also include ground-based logistical support drills and test the Air Force's joint operational capabilities with the Army, Navy, and the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command.
Source: Central News Agency (Focus Taiwan), November 1, 2026
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：台湾空军 F-16V 战机（机号 6613）。照片：总统府，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A Republic of China Air Force F-16V fighter (serial 6613). Photo: Office of the President, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
