`The US EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft, codenamed AE1D91, entered the East Sea through the Ba Si Strait on the afternoon of June 26. The P-8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft and the KC-135 tanker aircraft followed right behind,` the organization said.

EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft of the US Navy.

Images released by SCSPI show three US aircraft crossing the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in southwestern Taiwan, then flying toward the East Sea.

Taiwan’s defense agency did not comment on the flight paths of the three planes, only affirming that they are aware of all foreign military activities around Taiwan and are on duty to ensure the island’s safety.

However, an anonymous security source in Taipei said the US air force is likely conducting a joint submarine hunting mission in the area.

`US military aircraft are constantly present in the Bashi Strait and the northern region of the East Sea, showing that the Pentagon has intelligence about Chinese submarine activities here. The presence of many types of aircraft

Su Tzu-yun, an expert at Taiwan’s Institute for Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said the US military may be acting based on specific intelligence information.

`If China deploys submarines through the Bashi and Balintang Straits, located between the islands of Taiwan and the Philippines, they will deter US naval operations between the East Sea and the Philippine Sea. Such a direction of deployment shows its intention

Ba Si Strait (marked in red).

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have recently increased when mainland China sent fighters, bombers and transport aircraft close to the island nine times in June. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense has not given a reason for the increased activity.

Experts say the flights close to Taiwan appear to be Beijing’s response after Washington sent transport aircraft over the western edge of the island, and at the same time deterred Taipei’s launch of two missiles on June 11.