The recordWhat this system is, where it comes from, who operates it and which of Vigil’s modules it is relevant to — with the evidence each of those rests on.
Record
Conflict relevance
This is the catalogue's single record for this system. It is relevant to the module below; each module's Force Atlas shows how it is used there.
Battlefield role
Multirole strike and air combat, with a dedicated electronic-warfare variant. In practice the type most associated with the routine activity Taiwan reports.
Strengths
Long range, heavy payload and modern sensors on a mature airframe lineage produced in substantial numbers — well suited to sustaining a high tempo of presence activity over time.
Limitations
Untested in combat; a large, non-low-observable aircraft. As with the whole PLA inventory, publicly available assessments of real capability and readiness are uncertain, and this module does not attempt to resolve them.
Campaign relevance
Derived: a participant organisation in these campaigns carries a typed equipment association with this system. That is not the same as documented use of the system in the campaign itself.
- Sustained pressure below the threshold Intensifying since 2020
via PLA Air Force (Documented, high confidence)
Documented conflict use
Named regularly in Taiwan Ministry of National Defense daily summaries of detected aircraft. Those summaries are one government's published detections, not independently verified measurements, and Vigil reproduces no tracks, routes or positions from them.
Branch & service operators
- PLA Air Force Documented
Assessed as of2026-07Last reviewed2026-07-20