The air force would continue to allocate about NT$10 million (US$314,085) next year to keep its RF-5 recon aircraft fleet operational until it receives new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, a military source told the Central News Agency today.
According to the air force's budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025, NT$10 million would be spent on logistics and technical support services to keep the RF-5s up and running.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
The proposal is still pending approval by lawmakers.
The RF-5s were converted from some of the air force's F-5E jets that have been in service for nearly 50 years.
Based in Hualien Air Base, the plane's main mission is to conduct recon missions with F-16Vs and surveil Chinese forces.
During natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, the RF-5s also conduct recon missions to help gather information on the scale of the destruction.
The air force had about 50 F-5s that have mostly served as trainer jets.
All of them were retired from service late last year and replaced by Taiwan's indigenous advanced jet trainers, also known as the Brave Eagle.
However, the RF-5 reconnaissance version is to remain operational until the military receives new ISR capabilities with the future inclusion of MS-110 pods, MQ-9B drones and domestic drones in coming years, an unnamed source told the news agency.
Washington approved the sale of six MS-110s in October 2020, but the military has yet to receive them.
The delivery is expected to be completed next year.
Taiwan's military is also scheduled to receive the first two MQ-9B "SkyGuardian" drones it purchased from the US in 2026, and the other two in 2027.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS