Two upgraded E-2K airborne early-warning aircraft that were sent to the US for upgrades were delivered to Kaohsiung International Airport Station on Saturday for follow-up tests and inspections.
In October 2008, the US agreed to the first arms sales deal to Taiwan since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office, which included the US$250 million upgrade of four E-2T aircraft to the Hawkeye 2000 standard.
To avoid its combat capabilities being affected by the upgrade process, the Taiwanese military sent the four E-2T aircraft to the US in two batches.
Photo: CNA
The first batch of two E-2Ts sent in June 2010 returned to serve in Taiwan at the end of 2011, while the other two E-2Ts were sent to the US in 2011.
The upgrade of the four E-2Ts has now been completed. In June 2010, two E-2Ts were sent to the US to undergo upgrades and were eventually redesignated as E-2Ks.
The Northrop Grumman-built E-2K is an all-weather early-warning and control system platform equipped with eight-blade propellers, upgraded radar and surveillance systems, software and avionics.
The E-2K aircraft’s performance is equivalent to that of the E-2C, which is in service with the US Air Force.
Airborne early-warning and control aircraft have radar systems designed to provide functions such as early warning of the approach of low-flying enemy attacks, guiding fighters to execute interception and control missions, carrying out regional air surveillance and electronic reconnaissance and assisting search and rescue guidance as well as communications relay.
In recent years, airborne early-warning aircraft have been widely used for search-and-rescue missions.
The Ministry of National Defense said that Taiwan’s overall defense network will be significantly improved following the arrival of the E-2Ks and the integration of the nation’s command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
RSS