Reports of army pilots taking civilians without prior approval onto bases that house attack helicopters has led to disciplinary measures, as well as delays to the launch of an Apache helicopter squadron at the 601st Air Cavalry Brigade.
According to a senior official at the Ministry of National Defense, the original plan called for the 30 US-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to be organized into two combat aviation units, each with 15 aircraft.
After completing pilot training and aircraft servicing programs, the ministry had planned to officially commission the two assault helicopter battalions last month, with both attached to the 601st Air Cavalry Brigade, which is stationed in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭) under the jurisdiction of the Army Special Forces Command Airborne Headquarters.
However, due to a recent scandal and ensuing investigation, the commissioning of the units is being pushed back until after the Han Kuan military exercises in September, said a ministry official, who declined to be named.
“The furor over civilian tours of bases housing Apache helicopters has resulted in the punishment of commanders, supervisory officers and a number of staff at the 601st Brigade, with some removed from their posts and all of them subjected to the investigation,” the official said.
The official said that the debacle has badly damaged the morale of brigade personnel.
Therefore, to uphold the esprit de corps and rebuild confidence, the ministry has decided to postpone the official launch of the two assault helicopter battalions until after major military exercises planned for September, the official said.
Taiwan received the final batch of 30 helicopters in October last year as part of a NT$59.31 billion (US$1.9 billion) arms deal with Washington.
One of the helicopters, from an earlier delivery, was badly damaged in a crash in April last year, which injured the pilot and the copilot, leaving the brigade with 29 in total.
As a result, one of the Apache helicopter units is to have 15 aircraft, while the other would be left with 14.
However, an army spokesperson last night denied the report.
“We did not plan any commissioning ceremonies [for the Apache helicopter units] this year,” the spokesperson said, adding that flight training for the cutting-edge aircraft is proceeding as scheduled.
Asked when the commissioning ceremony would take place, the ministry declined to give a definite date.
“We will proceed in line with our schedule,” it said.
Separately, Japan’s Nomura Research Institute (NRI) yesterday made a statement dissociating itself from the recent scandal, which included a Japanese man named Naoto Hirayama.
The institute said it is not engaged in military intelligence and there was no espionage undertaken by its employee, who was caught up in the case.
The statement came as a response to allegations made by media commentator and geek icon Lucifer Chu (朱學恆), who raised questions over whether Hirayama had ulterior motives in getting a close-up look at an Apache attack helicopter, ostensibly because he was gathering intelligence as part of his duties as an NRI Taiwan staffer.
NRI Taiwan vice general manager Yoshikuni Tazaki dismissed Chu’s claims.
“We are a business consulting company, generating industry analyses and reports commissioned by our clients,” Tazaki said. “We have never done any work related to military intelligence.”
Acknowledging that Hirayama works for his company, “his visit to the 601st Air Cavalry Brigade was during his personal time. It was not related to company work,” Tazaki said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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