Taiwan is expected to receive six Apache attack helicopters in October, military sources said.
The six AH-64Es will be the first batch of an order of 30 of the most advanced US attack helicopters that the military bought for NT$59.31 billion (US$2.04 billion at current exchange rates) in 2008. The last batch is planned to be delivered before July 2014.
The contract to build the helicopters was awarded to US manufacturer Boeing in October 2010 and the first one came out of the Boeing hangar in Mesa, Arizona, last year in a ceremony presided over by Army Commander General Lee Hsiang-chou (李翔宙).
Pilots and maintenance crew have been sent to the US to learn how to fly and maintain thenew fleet.
The Apache helicopters have played a vital role in US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and have been upgraded from models A to B, C and D based on the US experience in those theaters.
The model E is the latest and most advanced version.
In addition to its powerful attack capability, the AH-64E can serve as an operations management platform and can control several unmanned drones simultaneously.
According to information provided by Boeing, the model E can carry a maximum load of 10 tonnes and has a maximum speed of 365kph, a cruising speed of 265kph and an effective range of 480km in radius.
The helicopter is virtually an airborne arsenal.
In addition to a 30mm automatic cannon with 1,200 rounds of ammunition, it is armed with 16 Hellfire Missiles and four air-to-air missiles.
It can be fitted with Stinger Missiles, Sidewinder Missiles or TOW Missiles, depending on mission requirements.
It is equipped with a new four-blade rotor that improves the helicopter’s speed and lift ability, with less noise.
The US Army took delivery of its first AH-64E only at the end of 2011, and Taiwan will be the first country other than the US to deploy the helicopter.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS