The Ministry of National Defense should select the Taitung Air Force Base to house its planned F-16V tactical fighter wing, Institute of National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said yesterday.
Bases on the west coast are at capacity, while Shihzihshan (石子山) would provide cover for the base from the S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missiles of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as well as enable Taiwan’s fighters to respond to PLA air and naval deployments to the east, he said.
Although the air force has already decided that the planned purchase of F-16Vs would not lead to a reduction in its number of Dassault Mirage 2000s, such a reduction should be considered, as it would free up Hsinchu Air Base for F-16Vs, he said.
The Mirage 2000s are expensive to operate and spare parts are difficult to obtain, he said.
The PLA Air Force must cross the Miyako Strait or Bashi Channel to reach the Pacific Ocean and it has frequently held aircraft exercises near or around Taiwan, straining Taiwan’s air defenses, a defense official said on condition of anonymity.
Such actions showed the need for Taiwan to obtain more advanced tactical fighters, they said.
Another defense official who requested anonymity said the air force was in the process of evaluating personnel requirements for the proposed tactical fighter wing, but the location of its home base could not be disclosed now.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴) in March told lawmakers that the F-16Vs the government wanted to purchase from the US were unlikely to be delivered before 2023.
Information published by the Air Force Command has said the PLA has turned its provocative air and sea drills near Taiwan into a routine practice — which shows it has the potential to attack any point in Taiwan.
Countering China’s growing strength in the air is the main reason for the air force to buy F-16Vs, the document said.
PLA aircraft have flown near Taiwan 55 times since 2015 by flying over the seas north of Taiwan, through the Bashi Channel, or along the north-south axis on the eastern edge of Taiwan’s airspace, it said.
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
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,”
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
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS