President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday lauded the contributions of the National Airborne Services Corps to Taiwan as she officiated at a ceremony to reactivate the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Brigade in Kaohsiung.
The ceremony also marked the completion of a new battalion hangar and base, and the mission readiness of the unit’s six UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, which have been specially equipped for search and rescue missions.
Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發), Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) and American Institute in Taiwan Deputy Director Raymond Greene also attended the event.
Photo: Chang Yi-chen, Taipei Times
The corps has a fourfold mission: disaster response, emergency response, medical evacuation and topographical survey.
Corps personnel have heroically discharged their duties, Tsai said.
As of this month, the corps had rescued 225 hikers, she said, adding that a boom in domestic tourism has increased the number of incidents requiring air evacuations.
The battalion’s reactivation is the culmination of six years of work to train pilots and crews, equip the helicopters and build the hangar, she said.
Since July, the Ministry of the Interior has launched initiatives to improve pay in the corps, such as recruitment and retainment bonuses, and raised the hourly wage for pilots, crew members and maintenance personnel, she said.
The integrated airbase, new helicopters and better wages are expressions of a grateful nation, Tsai said, adding that she hopes the policies ensure that corps personnel are adequately supported and compensated.
The government recognizes that the corps plays a crucial role in the nation’s emergency response capabilities and that the corps is stretched thin with just nine battalions in three brigades to cover the nation, she said.
Tsai said that she has instructed central and local government agencies to step up public education so that emergencies caused by human error can be prevented.
The military gave the corps a lot of assistance during the handoff of the helicopters, for which she was grateful, Tsai said, adding that she also extended her thanks to public and private entities involved in the base’s construction.
The 3rd Brigade is the sole operator of “heavy” UH-60Ms, which have been equipped to run daytime and nighttime operations, the corps said in a statement.
The helicopters feature weather radars, an autopilot feature enabling the aircraft to hover above a survivor, maritime direction finders, forward-looking infrared imaging, searchlights and a satellite communications system, the corps said.
The decision to go “heavy” was informed by budgetary concerns, aircraft payload capabilities, and the 3rd Brigade’s mission and area of responsibility, it added.
The safety of vessels and personnel transiting seas is part of the brigade’s tasks, the corps said, adding that the battalion previously used fixed-wing aircraft for aerial surveys.
The corps obtained its fleet of Black Hawk helicopters via the military from US arms sales to Taiwan.
The first helicopters were delivered in 2016 and deployed to the 2nd Brigade, while the 3rd Brigade’s six helicopters were that order’s final delivery.
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