Armed and ready to go, Taiwan Air Force jets screamed into the sky on Tuesday in a drill to simulate a war scenario, showing its fleet's battle readiness after dozens of Chinese warplanes flew into the island's air defense zone over the weekend.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its territory, has been on edge since the large-scale incursion by Chinese fighters and nuclear-capable bombers into the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone on Saturday and Sunday, which coincided with a U.S. carrier group entering the South China Sea.

The base in the southern city of Tainan, home to F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF), frequently scrambles jets to intercept China's air force.