The Republic of China Army 601st Air Cavalry Brigade is to formally become the first air brigade to be fully equipped with Boeing Co AH-64E Apache attack helicopters following a ceremony on Wednesday next week, a Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to officiate at the ceremony, which is being planned by the Army Command Headquarters, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Other distinguished guests would also attend the ceremony, where the helicopters’ capabilities would be demonstrated, he added.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
Some officials have said that in addition to Boeing representatives, several officers from the US Army’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, the air brigade’s sister unit, would also attend the ceremony.
When asked for comment, the ministry and headquarters declined to confirm or deny the claim, citing the sensitive nature of Taiwan-US relations.
The 601st and 602nd Air Cavalry brigades operate under the Army Aviation and Special Forces Command, with the former fielding all 29 of Taiwan’s serviceable Apaches and the latter fielding older AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
Responsible for the defense of northern Taiwan, the 601st has two combat aviation squadrons that provide air support as part of the army’s air-land combined arms strategy, alongside armor, artillery, special forces and infantry units.
The first squadron, which has recently passed operational readiness evaluations, is tasked with training new Apache pilots in addition to its regular duties, the official said.
As the second squadron was declared operational in July last year, the entire brigade is now combat-ready, he said.
The Apache attack helicopter is a mobile and powerful weapons platform armed with a 30mm chain gun and, depending on the mission, a mixture of Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 2.75-inch Hydra rockets and Stinger air-to-air missiles, he said.
The Apache E variant’s most significant equipment is the Longbow fire-control radar located on top of the rotor mast, which provides day-and-night, all-weather, 360-degree search capabilities for air and ground targets, the official said.
The helicopter can simultaneously track 128 targets and engage 16 of them, making it more lethal and more likely to survive, he added.
Each Apache E can designate targets and extend air combat control to up to three other gunships, which means that the army does not need to equip all the helicopters with Longbow radar, he said.
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to President William Lai (賴清德) as his administration considers whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan — a potential arms deal that has drawn criticism from China. “Well, I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,” Trump told reporters yesterday when asked if he had any plans to call his counterpart, although he did not offer a time frame for when such a conversation could take place. Trump previously said he would speak to the person “that’s running Taiwan,” without specifying who he meant. “We have that situation very
RSS