 | Hundreds of soldiers clean the strip of a Taiwan highway to make final preparations for test-landing by two Mirage fighter jets in Tainan on July 21, 2004. Two Mirage fighter jets touched down on Wednesday on a usually busy Taiwan highway -- the first time in 26 years -- as part of war games to test the island's combat readiness against any attack by arch-foe China. The drills by Taiwan, claimed by China and seen by security analysts as the most dangerous flashpoint in the Asia-Pacific, coincided with drills by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the island of Dongshan off China's southeastern coast. click to open  |
 | Workers re-fuel the tanks of two Mirage fighter jets after the planes landed on a Taiwan highway in Tainan on July 21, 2004. Two Mirage fighter jets touched down on Wednesday on a usually busy Taiwan highway -- the first time in 26 years -- as part of war games to test the island's combat readiness against any attack by arch-foe China. The drills by Taiwan, claimed by China and seen by security analysts as the most dangerous flash point in the Asia-Pacific, coincided with drills by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the island of Dongshan off China's southeastern coast. click to open |
 | Two French-made Mirage 2000 jet fighters prepare to take off from a strip of the Jen-teh highway during a military exercise Wednesday, July 21, 2004, in Tainan, Taiwan. Taiwanese fighter jets practiced landing and taking off on the strip of highway that was temporarily closed to traffic early Wednesday _ a rare drill to prepare pilots for the possible bombing of their air bases by China. click to open |
 | Two French-made Mirage 2000 jet fighters prepare to take off after landing on a length of the Jen-teh highway during a military exercise Wednesday, July 21, 2004, in Tainan, Taiwan. Taiwanese fighter jets practiced landing and taking off on the length of highway that was temporarily closed to traffic early Wednesday - a rare drill to prepare pilots for the possible bombing of their air bases by China. click to open |
 | A French-made Mirage fighter takes off from the Jenteh freeway during a military exercise in Tainan county, southern Taiwan. Taiwan showed its force while practicing its first air force freeway landings in 26 years amid tensions with China click to open |
 | Two Mirage fighters line up for supplies at the Jenteh freeway during a military exercise in southern Taiwan. Taiwan air force jets staged rare landings on closed off freeways as part of a major exercise to demonstrate the island's readiness in the event of an attack by China. click to open |
 | A Mirage jet fighter takes off from a highway in Taiwan after making a successful test-landing on the emergency wartime runway in Tainan, on July 21, 2004. Two Mirage fighter jets touched down on Wednesday on a usually busy Taiwan highway, the first time in 26 years, as part of war games to test the island's combat readiness against any attack. The drills by Taiwan coincided with drills by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the island of Dongshan, off China's southeastern coast. click to open |
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