The air force base in Hsinchu City is holding an open day today from 9am to 4pm, where the nation’s Thunder Tigers aerobatic display team is to put on a performance in their AT-3 trainer jets.
The day is also set to feature F16s, Mirage 2000s and the nation’s Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF) in action.
Ministry of National Defense officials said the event is a rare opportunity for civilians to enter the Hsinchu Air Base, interact with military personnel and to tour a display of aircraft and weapons, so that the public can be confident of the professionalism and combat readiness of the nation’s troops.
Photo: CNA
The ministry gave Hsinchu residents and reporters a preview of the open day on Thursday, with the Thunder Tigers undertaking the first public performance of aerial stunts and formation flying since a training accident that killed one of the team’s members in October last year.
The preview saw spectators burst into applause after a thrilling air show by the Thunder Tigers, followed by equally impressive aerial performances by Taiwanese pilots in IDFs, F16s and Mirage 2000 fighters.
On the runway, the public can get a close-up look at the fighter jets and gain an understanding of Taiwan’s weapons modernization program over the past decade, with armored personnel carriers, radar equipment, artillery cannons, truck-mounted missile launchers and other types of military vehicles on display.
Another section of the runway is to showcase a range of US-made aircraft, including an E-2K Hawkeye early warning airplane, a C-130 Hercules transport airplane, an AH-1W Cobra helicopter, an AH-64E Apache helicopter and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Air Force Major General Tsao Chin-pin (曹進平) invited members of the public to visit and have a good look inside the air base, which houses the 499th Tactical Fighter Wing, of which he is the commanding officer.
In between the air shows, the public is to be entertained by the Air Force Marching Band and a performance by its Honor Guard Rifle Drill Team, Tsao said.
There will be shuttle buses to the base between 7am and 3pm from the bus stop next to the rear exit of Hsinchu City Station, as well as from the High Speed Rail’s Hsinchu terminal in Jhubei City (竹北).
Entry to the base requires a visitor to present their ID card to verify they are Taiwanese.
Foreign nationals who are married to Taiwanese must show their ARC or APRC and be accompanied by their spouse to enter the military facility.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS