Fighter jets landed on a closed-off freeway yesterday for only the second time as part of a military exercise designed to test the nation's defenses against China.
The landing, part of the annual Han Kuang 23 military exercise, started at 6:18am with two F-16s from a base in Chiayi County, setting down on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway's (Freeway No. 1) Huatan Runway Section in Changhua County.
The F-16s were followed by a pair of two-seater Mirage-2000-5s from a base in Hsinchu County and then two single-seater IDFs from Taichung County's Chingchuankang airbase.
PHOTO: DAVID CHANG, EPA
It was the first time the Air Force had landed its three types of fighter jets on the same freeway at the same time and only the second time such a drill had been staged.
On July 21, 2004, three Mirage-2000-5s landed and took off from the Jenteh Runway Section of the freeway.
"It is an important milestone for us because we proved that we have the ability to land all our fighter jets on the freeway when necessary," Liu said.
The F-16s each carried two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles while the Mirage-2000-5s each carried one Missile d'Interception et de Combat Aerien.
After the planes landed, ground crews began to load a 500lb (226.8kg) bomb into one of the F-16s and a 2,000lb bomb into the other, two Arcane air-to-air missiles into each of the Mirages each and two Sky Sword air-to-air missiles into the IDFs. At 7:20am, the IDFs took off, followed by the Mirages and then the F-16s, bringing the drill to an end.
Curious bystanders watched the landings and take-offs from nearby warehouse roofs, rice paddies and roadways.
Air Force Command Headquarters spokesman Major General Jason Liu (劉介岑) said the freeway-landing drill was a test of both the pilots and ground crews to see if they could complete refueling and reloading within a set period of time.
The drill was based on the scenario whereby local airports had been destroyed and the planes had to use the freeway for refueling and reloading.
"The pilots did not have a chance to practice landing on the freeway ahead of time. It was a real challenge for them," Liu said. "As for our ground crews, we asked them to move the necessary supplies, including weaponry, from the base to the landing site within four hours. They accomplished the mission."
In other Han Kuang action yesterday, artillery batteries on Penghu (澎湖) fired numerous volleys at "Chinese" naval vessels approaching from the west.
The war games will continue today with a joint intercept operation involving air, sea and land-based assets near Ilan. Tomorrow's drills have been designed to simulate defense against an airborne attack.
This week's exercises were overshadowed by last Friday's crash of an F-5 in Hsinchu County.
Also see story:
Pilot error likely caused Friday's crash: Air Force
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