Taiwan's military staged a half-strength air rehearsal over Taipei ahead of the Oct. 10 National Day celebrations, a routine but visible show of force in a tense region.

• Fighters, transport planes and helicopters flew over the Presidential Office in the early morning, in formations built around the national flag, fast jets and rotary wings.
• The lineup showed off much of Taiwan's front-line air power: F-16Vs, Mirage 2000s, homegrown IDF jets, Apache and Super Cobra attack helicopters, Black Hawks, Chinooks and a P-3C sub-hunting plane.
• The Thunder Tigers aerobatic team closed the run using the new domestically built advanced trainer.
• The defense ministry told Taipei residents not to be alarmed by the engine noise and to wave at the crews instead, a nod to past public unease over military jets over the city.

Outlook: A full-strength rehearsal and the National Day flypast itself follow in the run-up to Oct. 10.