Taiwan has taken delivery of four more UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, part of a package of 60 aircraft from the US, after the second consignment was shipped to southern Taiwan earlier this week, the army said yesterday.
The four Black Hawks arrived in Kaohsiung on Sunday and were put through ground and air testing after being unloaded and assembled, the army said.
After undergoing standard inspections and testing yesterday, two were flown to an Army Aviation Special Forces Command base in Tainan’s Guiren District (歸仁), with the remaining two scheduled to be flown to the location later yesterday, the army said.
The Guiren base is where army personnel receive training on the new helicopters, officials have said.
In early 2010 the US government announced it would sell Taiwan the 60 Black Hawks, worth a total of US$3.1 billion.
The first four choppers were shipped to Taiwan in December last year.
The helicopters are to be delivered to Taiwan in 10 consignments, with the final batch of three to be shipped in 2019, the military said.
The Black Hawks are replacing the army’s aging fleet of UH-1H utility helicopters and are to be deployed in northern and southern Taiwan for combat and rescue missions, the army said.
The Black Hawks are among the various types of aircraft set to participate in a military display scheduled for July 4 at a military base in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), to mark the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II.
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