The female pilots defending Taiwan from Chinese warplanes

High above the Taiwan Strait, Captain Guo Wenjing braces for the G-forces and manoeuvres her fighter jet to intercept a Chinese aircraft.

Minutes earlier, she had been ordered to scramble, sprinting across the tarmac and climbing into the cockpit before blazing into the sky to confront the group of bombers and strike fighters bearing down on Taiwan.

In a 48-hour period, some 54 Chinese military aircraft – a much higher number than usual – were tracked around the island nation, about half of them crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait, normally an unofficial barrier between both sides, according to the Taiwanese defence ministry.

“That was Friday,” Capt Guo, 34, said of the recent mission. “It’s happened so many times.”

Aerial showdowns with the Chinese are becoming more commonplace as tensions rise over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and which Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has vowed to annex.

Beijing commands six times as many warplanes as Taiwan can muster and Taiwanese pilots say they are now also outmatched by China’s increasingly sophisticated aircraft.

“In the past, China’s military jets were no better than the kind of planes we use for training new pilots,” said Capt Guo. “Their weapons systems also weren’t that advanced ... But now, they’ve got these stealth fighters, like the J-11, J-20, which are superior to what we have,” she said. “Their military prowess has improved very visibly.”

While Taiwan’s air force also operates US-made F-16 fighters, and is expecting to receive more of them, even these could be outmatched by China’s newest aircraft. China claims the J-20 can hide from radar and is equipped with sophisticated long-range weapons.

Still, none of that fazes Capt Guo, who has pledged to follow her orders – even if that means firing the missiles slung beneath her aircraft, a home-grown twin-engine warplane known as the Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF).

“When you’re nervous, you’re far more likely to make mistakes – including over basic things,” she said.

On her missions, she taps into the same reserves of motivation that helped her become Taiwan’s fourth female fighter pilot.

Capt Guo briefly considered working in a bank after studying business management at university, but was drawn to the challenge of enlisting in the military and in particular, aviation. The promise of a steady wage cemented her decision, when aged 22.

At the time, she hoped to be able to support her family which was struggling to cover the cost of expensive late-stage cancer treatments for her father, who has now passed away. 

“I thought: If the boys can do it, then girls can, too,” she said. “I didn’t even tell my family what I was up to until the morning I was assigned to report for duty.”

Major Hsieh Yunting, 33, another combat pilot, was also eager for a challenge.

As a child, she saw the planes taking off and landing at a nearby airport and military air base in southern Taiwan, where she now trains future fighter pilots on the AT-3.

“I wondered if perhaps someday I could fly one of those planes,” she said.

On her first solo flight, she remembers looking behind her in the plane, not quite convinced she was actually flying alone without an instructor. “I told myself: you got this,” she said. “If I believe I can do it, then I can do it.”

Days can start as early as 3am, though most begin around 5am for Capt Guo and Maj Hsieh, who fit in several strength and conditioning workouts each week to maintain their fitness for the rigours of flying.

In her down time, Capt Guo – a self-professed homebody – enjoys running, devouring street food, and spending time with family.

Maj Hsieh joked that she, like most women, needs to clone herself to manage all her responsibilities at work and home, including the raising of two children, aged seven and five.

Both women are married to fellow military pilots – Capt Guo’s husband flies an IDF, like her, while Maj Hsieh’s husband flies a P-3C Orion, a US-built naval surveillance aircraft equipped with submarine sensors.

“Our kids adore their father; he flies the bigger plane,” said Maj Hsieh.

Women remain a minority in Taiwan’s military, comprising roughly 15 per cent of active duty personnel.

Most female pilots end up flying transport planes, though about 20 are now qualified as fighter pilots – an incremental improvement from when Capt Guo and Maj Hsieh began their careers.

“Back then, when we started our pilot training, there were so few women,” said Capt Guo. “Our officers placed us under a magnifying glass – at least, that’s what it felt like.”

Taiwan has 180,000 soldiers, and needs more troops as it seeks to increase its military capability to face a growing threat from China, which has the world’s largest armed forces with two million active duty personnel.

In May, Taiwan began training women to join its reserve forces and, last year, the government extended compulsory military service to a year from four months, though the requirement still only applies to men.

Recruiting hasn’t always been easy, partly given Taiwan’s decades-long period under martial law, when the military was associated with repression. That dark period ended in 1987 with a abrupt transition to democracy.

These days, Capt Guo’s two older brothers still tease her for becoming a soldier.

Neither were interested in enlisting themselves beyond conscription, instead continuing on in the family tradition of farming.

But nothing can replace the sense of accomplishment felt by pilots Guo and Hsieh, having joined the elite ranks of Taiwan’s armed forces.

Looking down at a beautiful expanse of ocean or Taiwan’s many stunning mountain peaks while flying doesn’t hurt either. “A small perk of the job,” said Maj Hsieh.

There is a chance, though, that pilots like Capt Guo and Maj Hsieh will one day find themselves at the forefront of a war with China.

Although Capt Guo’s mission that Friday ended with the Chinese aircraft withdrawing to their bases on the mainland, China’s bellicose rhetoric has continued.

“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan,” Li Shangfu, Beijing’s defence minister, said earlier this month, a few days after Capt Guo’s mission.

“If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate for a second,” he said. “We will fear no opponents … regardless of any cost.”