China Deploys Jets-Turned-Drones at Bases Near Taiwan

China stations jets-turned-drones at bases near Taiwan Strait, report says.
Published: 3/28/2026, 11:10:41 PM EDT

China has deployed old fighter jets—now converted into attack drones—near the Taiwan Strait.

That’s according to a new report by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Satellite images from February show rows of small, swept-wing aircraft. They closely resemble the Shenyang J6, a jet first flown in the 1960s.

The report is part of the China Airpower Tracker. It identifies these drone aircraft at six air bases—all of them near Taiwan.