Overview
- Taiwan’s defence ministry said the drone entered airspace over the Taiwan-administered Pratas Islands around 05:41 and departed at 05:48 after warnings were broadcast on international channels.
- Officials reported the aircraft remained for eight minutes at an altitude beyond the range of Taiwan’s anti-aircraft weapons.
- The ministry condemned the flight as “highly provocative and irresponsible” and said forces continue vigilance under routine combat-readiness rules.
- China had not publicly responded to the incident, and calls to its defence ministry went unanswered at the time of reporting.
- Pratas is a lightly defended but strategically located atoll in the northern South China Sea, where Beijing asserts territorial claims and PLA activity is frequent even as incursions into Taiwanese-controlled airspace are uncommon.