Jet fighters set for commissioning

Taiwan's Mirage 2000-5 jet fighter wing will be formally commissioned into service on May 10, marking yet another step forward in the country's armed forces modernization, military spokesman Huang Suey-sheng (黃穗生) said during a press conference yesterday.

Huang said that with the commissioning of the Mirage wing, the ROC Air Force's combat capability will enter a new stage.

"It will also help boost our military's morale and the general public's confidence in our overall defense capabilities," he said.

Speaking on the same occasion, Hsiao Yung-hua　(蕭永華), deputy head of the Air Force General Headquarters' operations department, noted that the air force took delivery of the first of 60 Mirage 2000-5s purchased from France in May 1997, and that its officers and men have been thoroughly trained on how to fly and use the the jets.

Taiwan's first Mirage squadron was formed in December 1997 and a second squadron was founded in November 1998 when the delivery of the entire order of 60 Mirage fighters was completed, Hsiao said. "After finalizing our intensive replacement training programs, the new Mirage wing will begin to flex its muscles and assume air defense missions from May 10," Hsiao said.

He also announced that a grand ceremony marking the commissioning of the Mirage wing will be held at the air force base in the northern Taiwan county of Hsinchu. The ceremony will consist of a flyover by the new jets as well as a ground display of the Mirage fighters. A total of 24 Mirages will fly past the review stand in formation and then another 18 aircraft will be reviewed on the ground by military brass, together with pilots and relevant technical personnel, he said.

Hsiao further said that the air force is scheduled to hold previews of the Mirage flyover on April 18, April 26, May 3 and May 8, respectively. "For the previews, partial airspace controls will be imposed in Taiwan's air space between 9am and 11am on the above-mentioned days.

"As the controlled areas do not fall on flight routes, the ban will not affect domestic and international flights," he said.

The Mirage fighters, along with Taiwan's 130 locally built indigenous defense fighters (IDFs) and 150 US-made F-16 jet fighters, will form the backbone of the nation's second generation warplane arsenal.