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Toxic gas filtration at air bases to be revamped: sources

Improvements will be made to toxic gas filtration systems at two air bases in the eastern part of the country as part of efforts to retain counterattack capabilities in the event of a conflict across the Taiwan Strait, defense sources said yesterday.

The sources said the Ministry of National Defense would budget more than NT$463 million (US$14 million) in the next four years to fortify toxic gas filtration systems, as well as airtight and ventilated facilities at Chiashan and Shihtzushan air bases, both of which have high-security aircraft hangars hidden in mountain caves.

WAR SCENARIOS

After computer-simulated war scenarios involving attacks from China, the military decided that maintaining effective airborne combat capabilities was strategically better than securing air supremacy over the Taiwan Strait, the sources said.

For this reason, most of the air force's fighter fleets in the west would move to Chiashan in Hualien County and Shihtzushan in Taitung County in the case of a cross-strait conflict.

In addition, the military must upgrade airtight sealants and its ventilation and toxic gas filtration systems at those two bases to provide sufficient protection in the case of attacks with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

NEWER TECHNOLOGY

The ministry is planning to replace the existing US-made filtration and ventilation facilities with European technology and install new toxic gas early warning systems at the air bases.

The new systems will be able to detect a wider variety of poisonous gases and monitor the efficacy of the filtration systems, the sources said.

In addition, the sources said new airtight purification facilities and centralized mainframe control systems would also be installed at the two air bases.
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