The Air Force Command yesterday posted notice of a NT$1.17 billion (US$37.98 million) deal with the US to maintain military aircraft weapon systems training simulators from this year through 2027.
Taiwan’s defense mission to the US inked the restricted tendering contract with the American Institute in Taiwan, the public version of the notice said.
The document did not specify the type of aircraft simulators, but identified the locations as Tainan and Pingtung, where the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing and 6th Mixed Tactical Wing are based respectively.
Photo: You Tai-lang, Taipei Times
The 1st Fighter Tactical Wing operates AIDC F-CK-1 jets and the 6th Mixed Tactical Wing operates Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
However, the maintenance and sustainment package could be related to tactical simulators the air force is due to receive for General Atomics MQ-9B drones and Lockheed Martin F-16Vs, to be delivered by next year and in 2025 respectively.
In other developments, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said a Coast Guard Administration project to build frigates domestically for its fleet achieved 50 percent of its goal on Monday.
Kuan gave the update at her first ship delivery ceremony, when the Coast Guard Administration took delivery of its sixth Anping-class offshore frigate, the Jian (吉安, CG607), and its 25th patrol boat (PP-3512) built by Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Co.
The frigate is part of a program launched in 2018 to supply the coast guard with 141 vessels of various tonnages by 2027 at a cost of more than NT$42.6 billion.
Twelve of the frigates were ordered and the delivery of the Jian on Monday meant that half of the order had been completed.
The Jian has self-righting capabilities, and can conduct maritime rescue missions and inspections of fishing boats, as well as drive away suspicious vessels. It is equipped with a rocket system and a remote controlled 20mm cannon.
Alongside the two ships, the event also celebrated the ceremonial launching of the seventh frigate (CG609), which was christened as the Wanli (萬里).
The Anping-class frigates were modeled on the navy’s Tuo Chiang-class corvettes.
As such, both vessels are equipped with a water cannon with a range of 120m, can reach speeds of up to 44 knots (81.5kph) and can withstand up to force 9 winds on the Beaufort scale.
The Jian is to be deployed in eastern Taiwan to protect the nation’s maritime rights and the interests of local fishers, while the Wanli is to join the fleet in the north when it is delivered.
Separately, the Coast Guard Administration yesterday announced that a detachment of its elite Special Task Unit had been deployed to counter Chinese speedboats prowling the waters off of Lienchiang County’s Dongyin Island (東引).
The detachment has familiarized itself with the physical and human geography of the Matsu Islands over the past month in preparation for the mission, which would last at least one week, it said.
The size of the detachment is classified for operational reasons, but one coastal patrol craft has been allocated for the mission, it said.
The unit is the coast guard’s special forces utilized in tactical roles and members don black body armor and helmets on patrol, unlike other coast guard units that wear orange high-visibility uniforms, it added.
A Keelung high school on Saturday night apologized for using a picture containing a Chinese flag on the cover of the senior yearbook, adding that it has recalled the books and pledged to provide students new ones before graduation on Thursday. Of 309 Affiliated Keelung Maritime Senior High School of National Taiwan Ocean University graduates, 248 had purchased the yearbook. Some students said that the printer committed an outrageous error in including the picture, while others said that nobody would notice such a small flag on the cover. Other students said that they cared more about the photographs of classmates and what was
GOING INTERNATIONAL: Rakuten Girls squad leader Ula Shen said she was surprised that baseball fans outside of Taiwan not only knew of them, but also knew their names Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德). The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit. Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present. Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese
WAY OF THE RUKAI: ‘Values deemed worthy often exist amid discomfort, so when people go against the flow, nature becomes entwined with our lives,’ a student said “Run, don’t walk” after your dreams, Nvidia cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) told National Taiwan University (NTU) graduates yesterday, as several major universities held in-person graduation ceremonies for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. “What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it. Run, don’t walk. Remember, either you’re running for food, or you are running from becoming food. Oftentimes, you can’t tell which. Either way, run,” he said. Huang was one of several tech executives addressing graduating students at Taiwanese universities. National Chengchi University held two ceremonies, with alumnus Patrick Pan (潘先國), who is head of Taiwan
A 14-legged giant isopod is the highlight of a new dish at a ramen restaurant in Taipei and it has people lining up — both for pictures and for a bite from this bowl of noodles. Since “The Ramen Boy” launched the limited-edition noodle bowl on Monday last week, declaring in a social media post that it had “finally got this dream ingredient,” more than 100 people have joined a waiting list to dine at the restaurant. “It is so attractive because of its appearance — it looks very cute,” said the 37-year-old owner of the restaurant, who wanted to be
RSS