Taiwan's air force yesterday rehearsed for the ceremony at which its first F-16 A/B fighter wing, the 455th, will be commissioned in to service.
The event, to be held on Dec. 18 in Chiayi, will also showcase the F-16s' newly-deployed ground- attack system.
The rehearsal took place in the morning at Chiayi's Shuishan Air Base, which is home to the first F-16 A/B 455th Fighter Wing.
The 455th wing is to be commissioned into service Tuesday in a ceremony to be presided over by President Chen Shui-bian (
Yesterday's rehearsal was shepherded by the air force's Commander-in-Chief, General Chen Chao-ming (
After the public rehearsal ended, air force sources say General Chen remained at the air base to drill his troops again and again on their parts in the ceremony.
Chen reportedly had good reason to drill the men as a number of mistakes marred the rehearsal.
For example, as the general delivered the keynote speech, which will be delivered on Tuesday by the president, the master of ceremonies kept referring to him as the "president." The mistake was repeated throughout the speech.
An air force official, who attended the rehearsal, said Chen was embarrassed by the gaffe since it was apparent that the master of ceremonies wasn't aware his mistake.
Meanwhile, the air force will showcase the newly-deployed ground attack system -- the US-made LANTRIN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) at Tuesday's ceremony.
Twenty-eight LANTRIN systems were delivered to Taiwan in April, which consist of a navigation pod and a targeting pod.
A master sergeant, who manned the static LANTRIN display, said that although the US Air Force no longer uses the system, it will still be of great use to Taiwan's air force.
"The LANTRIN system will greatly strengthen the F-16s' ground attack capabilities. We do not need to say who we will use it against," the master sergeant said.
Of Taiwan's second-generation warplanes -- F-16, French-made Mirage 2000-5 and domestically-made IDF -- the LANTRIN-equipped F-16s are the only ones with advanced ground-attack capabilities.
The air force will rely heavily on the LANTRIN-equipped F-16s in the event of a Chinese invasion, sources say.
Taiwan rosters 150 F-16 A/B fighter planes, 10 of which are permanently stationed in the US for training purposes. Currently, the air force's Chiayi base is home to all of its F-16s.
However, a second F-16 air wing is expected to be commission at the air force's Hualien base in January.
Although the air force will not comment on the combat strength or readiness of units in the field, sources said an air wing is generally composed of 50 to 60 warplanes, as well as a host of support planes.
RSS