TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has massed obsolete J-6 fighters converted into attack drones at six air bases near the Taiwan Strait, a Reuters-cited Mitchell Institute report warns, bolstering Beijing’s capacity to saturate defenses in any assault on Taiwan.
“China Airpower Tracker” satellite images from February reveal lines of swept-wing J-6s — 1960s MiG-19 derivatives now converted into J-6W drones — at five Fujian bases and one in Guangdong, minutes from Taiwan.
Senior fellow J. Michael Dahm told Reuters the PLA has stockpiled 200-plus drones there for first-wave cruise missile-style launches to exhaust expensive interceptors. “They will attack Taiwan, US or allied targets in large numbers, effectively overwhelming air defenses,” Dahm was quoted as saying.
A senior Taiwanese security official called it a ploy to deplete missile stocks before high-value strikes, forcing costly early intercepts. Taiwan’s defense ministry this week pledged new counter-drone systems, citing a 2022 study labeling the J-6W a weapon for asymmetric warfare.
Retired Australian air officer Peter Layton told Reuters the drones would join jets, missiles and UAV swarms in a defender’s nightmare. The bases remain ripe for counterattack.
China showcased a J-6 UAV at the 2025 Changchun Air Show — cockpitless, auto-navigated, with 500-plus estimated conversions — amid its airpower buildup blending relics and high-tech arms.
