A military aircraft emergency landing and takeoff drill is to be staged for the first time at a civilian airport in Taitung County in July during annual live-fire military exercises, a military source told the Central News Agency yesterday.
The drill, to be staged at Taitung Fengnian Airport, is to simulate a scenario in which Taiwan’s military airports and airstrips are severely damaged by enemy fire, requiring fighter jets to land at civilian ones or on highways, the source said.
It would be the first time this type of drill has been staged in the history of the airport, which opened in 1981, they said.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
The drill would be part of the live-fire component of this year’s Han Kuang military exercises.
The exercises have been held annually since 1984, in the form of live-fire drills and computerized war games, to test Taiwan’s combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.
This year’s tabletop drills are expected to be staged in May, while the live-fire component should take place in July, the source said.
Meanwhile, the source said the military is also looking to turn a section of Provincial Highway No. 9 in eastern Taiwan into an emergency landing strip.
It is eyeing a 14.5km section of the road connecting Guanshan Township (關山) and Luye Township (鹿野) in northern Taitung County to serve as an emergency runway, the source said.
Taiwan’s only emergency provincial highway landing strip at present is a 2.26km section of Provincial Highway No. 1 near Jiadong (佳冬) and Fangliao (枋寮) townships in southern Pingtung County.
Other emergency landing strips are located on sections of Freeway No. 1 in Madou (麻豆) and Rende (仁德) districts in Tainan, Huatan Township (花壇) in Changhua County and Minsyong Township (民雄) in Chiayi County.
The Ministry of National Defense would not confirm the Taitung drill due to the sensitivity of the issue, but said it regularly tests Taiwan’s civilian airports and emergency landing strips to make sure they are capable of handling takeoff and landing missions in wartime.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old