The army yesterday gave a sneak preview of its 3D combat tactics being developed by military strategists in a bid to orchestrate air and land defenses for maximum effect.
At a training exercise in Hsinchu County, attack and reconnaissance helicopters were the center of attention as they provided precise and incisive fire support to forces on the ground in a taste of how the military plans to conduct future operations
The army has been developing three-dimensional, coordinated action between helicopters and land forces in recent years, with yesterday's training exercise, held specially for the press, offering a rare chance for the public to witness how far development has progressed.
The exercise in Hukou township -- location of the army's largest training field in northern Taiwan -- was a routine demonstration held annually just before Lunar New Year to boost public confidence in the military.
The drill was conducted jointly by the 542nd armored brigade and the 601st airborne brigade, which acted out the scenario of a large-scale Chinese-paratrooper invasion on the Hukou tableland in Hsinchu -- long considered to be one of the most likely sites for a parachute landing by Chinese troops.
The defending task force was comprised of attack and reconnaissance helicopters from the 601st brigade along with tanks, self-propelled howitzers and infantry troops carried by armored personnel vehicles from the 542nd brigade.
Ground and air units kept in close contact throughout the exercise, providing a coordinated three-dimension theater of operations
After the exercise, an army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 3D tactic proved very effective but that it will be some time before the army can fully integrate it into its existing combat capacity.
"The kind of coordinated operation demonstrated in today's training exercise is mainly a vision for the future. We have not acquired such capabilities. We are still working on it," the official said.
One of the main problems the army faces is the lack of good communication links between air and ground forces.
The army has yet to work out an effective communication system which can provide transmission of real-time information between different weaponry platforms and between air and ground forces.
The Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE) system is currently the best communication system in the army, but it can provide only limited communication between reconnaissance helicopters and ground units.
Also unveiled at yesterday's training exercise was the army's first female combat pilot.
Lieutenant Huang Tzu-ting (黃慈婷), an army reconnaissance helicopter pilot, is the first female officer to fly an armed helicopter in the army.
"It has been my dream to be a pilot. It is not easy for a woman to join in the world of flying. I still have a lot to learn," Huang said.
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