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.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it plans to revise the export control list for strategic high-tech products by adding 18 items under three categories — advanced 3D printing equipment, advanced semiconductor equipment and quantum computers — which would require local manufacturers to obtain licenses for their export. The ministry’s announcement yesterday came as the International Trade Administration issued a 60-day preview period for planned revisions to the Export Control List for Dual Use Items and Technology (軍商兩用貨品及技術出口管制清單) and the Common Military List (一般軍用貨品清單), which fall under regulations governing export destinations for strategic high-tech commodities and specific strategic high-tech commodities. The
RSS