Taipei, July 14 (CNA) Taiwan Air Force jets took to the skies Tuesday in an exercise to intercept a simulated air attack by hostile forces, on the second day of the annual live-fire Han Kuang war games.

The Taiwan aircraft included the Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF) and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, photos from the Military News Agency showed.

In the air defense drill that was the focus of Tuesday's exercise, the operations on the ground involved radar vehicles and the Avenger Air Defense System -- a U.S.-made self-propelled surface-to-air weapon against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other low-flying aircraft -- the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) news service said.

At the Military Police School Linkou Campus, special forces from the military, police and Coast Guard units conducted a drill that was a coordinated effort to rescue government leaders held hostage by invading forces inside vital government offices.

Meanwhile, sirens wailed across Taiwan at 1:30 p.m., signaling the start of a 30-minute public air-raid drill, and an alert was sent to people's mobile phones at the beginning and end of the annual Wan An public drill.

"This is an exercise simulating a missile attack, but it will not involve traffic controls or dispersal of pedestrians," the text message at 1:30 p.m. read, reflecting the government's decision this year not to clear the streets, to avoid having people clustering in shelters, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The live-fire Han Kuang exercises are not open to the media, except on July 16, when an anti-landing drill will be held at Jianan Beach in Taichung.

On Monday, the exercises involved the launch of Patriot surface-to-air missiles and Sky Bow air defense missiles to intercept a simulated missile attack on the Presidential Office.

Fighter jets deployed on the island's west coast flew to the eastern side to avoid a simulated direct hit by enemy missiles and bombardments, while navy ships set sail, and armored vehicles took cover in culverts and under bridges.

The live-fire Han Kuang exercises will continue this week with operations that will test Taiwan military's capability to defeat the enemy in nearshore zones and to neutralize enemy forces on beaches and in other landing areas.

The computer-simulated tabletop training component of the Han Kuang exercises is scheduled for Sept. 14-18 to hone the skills of commanders at different levels to make decisions during battle.