A navy pilot yesterday said that the navy's anti-submarine capability is low, and that it needs advanced aircraft to be able to complete its mission.
"The navy's current force of 26 S2T aircrafts is too old to detect China's advanced vessels and submarines," said S2T pilot Hsu Koei-jui (
The legislators called the press conference to urge the public to support purchase of 12 P-3C maritime patrol aircraft from the US -- one of three big-ticket items in a purchase that has been blocked for months by the pan-blue controlled legislature.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsu said that of the navy's 26 S2Ts, only 16 of the 40-year-old aircraft are usable. He said the average S2T mission lasts three hours. The aircraft has no air conditioning, no Global Positioning System (GPS) and few computer systems, and pilots have to operate the aircraft manually -- all of which makes for a high-pressure ride for pilots. Hsu said most S2T pilots consider the aircraft dangerous to fly.
A real admiral from the navy's air command, Ma Jien-chung (
Ma said that only sustained patrols using advanced maritime patrol aircraft such as the P-3C can detect China's submarines when they are underwater. Ma said the navy has calculated that if it procures US P-3Cs, those aircraft could used for more than 20 years.
Ma added the navy mainly patrols waters northeast, southeast and east of Taiwan, and that 12 P-3Cs are enough to protect the nation's waters.
Tang said that the navy's anti-submarine force -- which includes 26 S2Ts, eight 500MD helicopters and 18 S-70C helicopters -- is insufficient.
He said that the air force procured 32 used S2Ts in 1976, and that six of those aircraft crashed before it transferred the force to the navy in 1999. Tang said that the eight 500MD helicopters have been in service for more than 25 years, and that the age of such aircraft has resulted in accidents.
One 500MD helicopter crashed in Kaohsiung in January and a S70-C helicopter crashed into the sea last week, killing one officer. Two crew members are missing and presumed dead.
Tang said those accidents had devastated the families of pilots and crew members, and that the public should support purchases of newer aircraft to help raise the safety, Tang said, appealing for passage of the bill to purchase 12 P-3Cs.
Days after it was banned in China, a Mandarin ballad satirizing nationalistic Chinese Internet users is trending at No. 1 on YouTube in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Fragile (玻璃心), by Taiwan-based Malaysian rapper Namewee (黃明志) and Australian singer Kimberley Chen (陳芳語), offers a tongue-in-cheek apology to “little pink” Internet users, a disparaging term that describes patriotic “keyboard warriors” from China. After racking up more than 9 million views on YouTube, the song reached No. 3 on the site in Malaysia on Thursday, according to Kworb, a Web site that analyzes music data from around the world. It is also the only Chinese-language
NO CHANGE: US officials indicated that the ‘one China’ policy remains in place, while the NATO chief avoided discussing Biden’s comment in an effort to ease tensions US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Friday that the Pentagon would continue to support Taiwan’s military, but he declined to say if US troops would defend the island against China, after US President Joe Biden said there was a US “commitment” to do so. “As we’ve done over multiple administrations, we will continue to help Taiwan with the sorts of capabilities that it needs to defend itself,” Austin said at NATO headquarters. “So we’ll stay focused on those things, and I won’t engage in any hypotheticals with respect to Taiwan,” he told reporters. Biden on Thursday sparked a new firestorm
PROTECTION: The Ministry of Health and Welfare is aiming for a full vaccination rate of 30 percent, and allowing mixed first and second doses to boost coverage rates Whether Taiwan reopens its borders would depend on the nation’s vaccination coverage rate and the COVID-19 situation in other countries, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is aiming for a 70 percent first-dose vaccination coverage and 30 percent two-dose coverage as part of its consideration, Shih told a media briefing following the weekly Cabinet meeting. In spite of a relatively stable COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, and calls from foreign missions and businesses in the country to allow more international travelers, the government is maintaining strict border control measures. Since March last year,
‘DISCIPLINE’: The Taiwanese runner finished six days after the winner, but claimed the 25th-best time in the 25-year history of the race at a New York high school Taiwanese ultramarathon runner Lo Wei-ming (羅維銘) on Saturday finished second among seven runners in a 4,989km road race in New York City, becoming the first Asian to have completed the challenge. Holding the national flag and wearing sandals, Lo was cheered by the crowd as he passed the finish line of the 25th Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race, clocking 48 days, 11 hours, 52 minutes and 1 second. “Wei-ming has been a real ambassador for the sport of super-long distance running, as well as for his Taiwan heritage and community,” the organizers said in their 48th daily online update for
RSS