The military equipment of both Taiwan and the United States were in battle activation mode when three U.S. congressional members arrived in Taipei by air on Sunday, a military website editor said.

As the C-17 Globemaster III of the U.S. Air Force reached its destination, a missile warning system on the aircraft was in operation.

The cargo plane was carrying a bipartisan U.S. delegation to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on the same day. Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu took a picture in front of the C-17 with his senator guests, Democrats Tammy Duckworth and Christopher Coons and Republican Dan Sullivan, who later announced a donation of 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to help ease shortages on the self-ruled island.

Their photo showed that an infrared countermeasure device built into the jet was running.

The C-17 was a strategic cargo plane that was capable of rapidly delivering troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases, Erich Shih, a journalist with the website Military and Aviation News, told Apple Daily Taiwan.

Shih said that the laser jamming system was standard equipment for the aircraft to help counter threats from advanced infrared-seeking missiles.

Military observers also noted that during the C-17′s takeoff and landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, the Oerlikon 35mm twin cannons installed at the Songshan Air Force Base went into a rare state of readiness to provide air defense for the U.S. aircraft.

The Oerlikon cannons are part of the Skyguard Air Defense System in Taiwan. Each barrel can fire 1,100 rounds per minute to reach an effective altitude of about 4km and up to a range of 11km. The firings can be guided by radar or telescopic viewing.

It is equipped with so-called advanced hit efficiency and destruction munitions to shoot down cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other targets used by the Chinese military.

An experienced official at Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense would only smile when asked about whether they had received instructions to protect and escort the American jet, or if the island was planning any military exercises with the U.S. The official said that the ministry would not comment on photos or videos taken by the media or enthusiasts of military affairs.

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