Taiwan's Mirage 2000-5 jet fighter wing will be formally commissioned into service on May 10, marking yet another step forward in the country's armed forces modernization, military spokesman Huang Suey-sheng (
Huang said that with the commissioning of the Mirage wing, the ROC Air Force's combat capability will enter a new stage.
"It will also help boost our military's morale and the general public's confidence in our overall defense capabilities," he said.
Speaking on the same occasion, Hsiao Yung-hua (
Taiwan's first Mirage squadron was formed in December 1997 and a second squadron was founded in November 1998 when the delivery of the entire order of 60 Mirage fighters was completed, Hsiao said. "After finalizing our intensive replacement training programs, the new Mirage wing will begin to flex its muscles and assume air defense missions from May 10," Hsiao said.
He also announced that a grand ceremony marking the commissioning of the Mirage wing will be held at the air force base in the northern Taiwan county of Hsinchu. The ceremony will consist of a flyover by the new jets as well as a ground display of the Mirage fighters. A total of 24 Mirages will fly past the review stand in formation and then another 18 aircraft will be reviewed on the ground by military brass, together with pilots and relevant technical personnel, he said.
Hsiao further said that the air force is scheduled to hold previews of the Mirage flyover on April 18, April 26, May 3 and May 8, respectively. "For the previews, partial airspace controls will be imposed in Taiwan's air space between 9am and 11am on the above-mentioned days.
"As the controlled areas do not fall on flight routes, the ban will not affect domestic and international flights," he said.
The Mirage fighters, along with Taiwan's 130 locally built indigenous defense fighters (IDFs) and 150 US-made F-16 jet fighters, will form the backbone of the nation's second generation warplane arsenal.
RISK REMAINS: An official said that with the US presidential elections so close, it is unclear if China would hold war games or keep its reaction to angry words The Ministry of National Defense said it was “on alert” as it detected a Chinese aircraft carrier group to Taiwan’s south yesterday amid concerns in Taiwan about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games. The ministry said in a statement that a Chinese navy group led by the carrier Liaoning had entered waters near the Bashi Channel, which connects the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and separates Taiwan from the Philippines. It said the carrier group was expected to enter the Western Pacific. The military is keeping a close watch on developments and “exercising an
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
REACTION TO LAI: A former US official said William Lai took a step toward stability with his National Day speech and the question was how Beijing would respond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday warned China against taking any “provocative” action on Taiwan after Beijing’s reaction to President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Double Ten National Day on Thursday. Blinken, speaking in Laos after an ASEAN East Asia Summit, called the speech by Lai, in which he vowed to “resist annexation,” a “regular exercise.” “China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions,” Blinken told reporters. “On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
RSS