The air force should continue its project to build high-explosion-resistant hangars by changing the specifications of hangars or increasing the budget if it has trouble finding a contractor, retired air force lieutenant general Chang Yen-ting (張延廷) said.
Chang made the remarks after being asked to comment on a report published by the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center, which discussed the project to preserve Taiwan’s air defense capabilities in the event of a war.
The project aimed to spend NT$4.392 billion (US$136.37 million) on building 36 high-explosion-resistant hangars at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base from 2020 to 2026, with each hangar designed to accommodate one fighter jet, the report said
Photo: Taipei Times file
However, it twice failed to attract bidders in 2021. The Ministry of National Defense changed the scope to 24 hangars, with the aim of completing the project by 2027, but still no contractors participated in the bid last month, the report said.
Most air force hangars that are in use were built using traditional methods, which might not be able to withstand fierce attacks from guided missiles, cruise missiles and long-range rocket launchers from China, it said.
“Though it is necessary to build high-explosion-resistant hangars, it is questionable whether having only 24 of them built instead of 36 would still meet the wartime demands,” the report said.
Chang said that the upper part of old air force hangers is covered by earthwork and turf, but roots would often grow into the concrete, causing cracks and leaks.
“Leaks could form stalactites in hangars and can even drip onto the wings of fighter planes. Therefore, it is necessary to build new bomb-resistant hangars,” Chang said.
However, given the rising costs of construction materials and the difficulty of recruiting workers, the air force should consider adjusting the specifications of high-explosion-resistant hangars or increasing the budget to complete its original plan of having 36 new hangars built, he said.
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