The Army Command Headquarters is to earmark NT$1.6 billion (US$52 million) to build a helicopter base and helicopter hangars in Taitung County and Taichung respectively to preserve the combat capability of its rotary-wing units in case of a surprise attack by China, a Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday.
Attack helicopters, including Boeing AH-64E Apaches and Bell AH-1W Super Cobras, are to be stationed at Fong Nian Air Force Base (豐年) in Taitung County and Ching Chuan Kang Air Force Base (清泉崗) in Taichung, the official said on condition of anonymity.
According to the fiscal 2019 budget sent to the Legislative Yuan for review, the army plans to establish training bases for all kinds of helicopters under the Aviation and Special Forces Command, the official said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Taitung base would cost NT$933 million and is expected to be completed by 2023, they said.
With the establishment of the base, rotary-wing units under the command would be able to use the terrain along the coast to evacuate and preserve their combat capability in the event of a surprise attack by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the official said.
The base could also serve as a forward command center for disaster relief, they added.
The planned hangars at Ching Chuan Kang Air Force Base would cost NT$729 million and would also be completed by 2023, the official said.
The command’s AH-1W helicopters have been stationed at the base for some time, but they are “borrowing” the air force’s spare hangars, they said.
“Once we begin building the new hangars, helicopters under the command will have more appropriate storage space, as well as adequate maintenance capabilities,” the official said.
The upgrade would also cut down the maintenance hours that each unit needs, the official added.
In separate news, a senior government official yesterday said that the National Day Celebration Preparation Committee would on Thursday next week announce its arrangements for the Double Ten National Day celebrations.
As customary, several formations of the air force’s main fighter jets would fly over the Presidential Office Building in Taipei and people attending the celebrations, the official said.
As fighter jets travel fast and fly at high altitudes, the air force would also dispatch slower planes, such as Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport planes and Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, which would allow the public to get a closer view of them, the official added.
Weather would be the deciding factor in determining how low the planes would fly, the official said, adding that flight safety would be the top concern.
PAPERS, PLEASE: A digital certificate or a printout would return one of three results: green for ‘pass,’ red for ‘not passed’ or yellow for ‘to be determined,’ the CECC said Starting today, people can download a Digital COVID-19 Certificate, with the government now requiring people at night clubs, karaoke bars and other businesses in “eight major special establishment categories” to be fully vaccinated and present a vaccination certificate. The eight categories include dance venues, massage parlors, hostess bars and saunas. Customers and service personnel at the venues have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, as they can neither avoid contact with people nor strictly observe distancing guidelines, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. As such, both groups are required to be fully vaccinated, meaning that they must have had at least a
LAWMAKERS RALLY: Beijing’s unlegislated actions breach international and WTO trade rules, and affect the basic principles of the EU single market, the letter said A group of 41 EU lawmakers on Tuesday condemned China for its political and economic coercion of Lithuania, and called on leaders of the bloc to demonstrate solidarity with Vilnius. The letter was initiated by Slovakian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Miriam Lexmann, who is cochair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. “We, the undersigned members of the European Parliament, resolutely condemn political and economic coercion of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) against Lithuania,” the letter said. The letter addressed European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and
ORDER OF 66 JETS: Delivering the F-16s faster and enabling Taiwan to develop its fleet into one of the biggest in Asia would be based on ‘risk assessment,’ one official said The US is looking for ways to accelerate delivery of Taiwan’s next generation of newly built F-16 jets, US officials said, bolstering the Taiwanese air force’s ability to respond to what Taipei and Washington see as increasing intimidation by the Chinese military. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that they have not yet come up with a solution on how to speed up delivery of Block 70 F-16s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp and equipped with new capabilities. The aircraft are slated to be delivered by the end of 2026. Taipei has privately expressed its wish for a faster delivery
‘GOOD FRIEND’: The Slovenian prime minister said he had visited Taiwan four or five times, and that Taiwanese should have the right to determine their future The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed Slovenia’s plan to establish a representative office in Taiwan, after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa revealed the plan in an interview with Indian TV station Doordarshan on Monday. Taiwan is a democratic country that respects international democratic standards and international laws, the Slovenian prime minister said in the interview. Slovenia and Taiwan are working on “exchanging representatives,” he said. “Of course, this will not be on the level of embassies. It will be on the same level as many of the EU member countries.” “When I spoke with our businessmen who are trading with Taiwan, they
RSS