Canadian firm CAE has been awarded a contract to design and manufacture a flight simulator and tactical trainer for the P-3C “Orion” maritime patrol aircraft Taiwan has purchased from the US, the company announced in a March 23 press release.
Under the terms of the contract, CAE will design and manufacture a P-3C operational flight trainer (OFT) as well as a P-3C operational tactics trainer (OTT). The P-3C OFT will be a Level D equivalent flight simulator and used to train the pilots and co-pilots of Taiwan’s P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, the press release said. The P-3C OTT will be used to train the sensor operators in the P-3C aircraft.
Both training devices are scheduled for delivery in 2014.
The deal is part of a series of contracts signed by CAE, a leading provider of simulation and modeling technologies and integrated training solutions for the aviation industry and defense community, with the US Navy valued at more than US$100 million.
Taiwan procured 12 P-3C aircraft from the US for US$1.9 billion in 2007 following a six-year delay stemming from political infighting and questions over the estimated cost of US$300 million per new plane. Instead, Taiwan opted for the purchase of 12 refurbished aircraft. US firm Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to refurbish the P-3Cs, sold as Excess Defense Articles. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery to Taiwanese training units in the US in June, Defense News said, with the other 11 to be delivered this year and next.
The P-3Cs, which will play an essential role in anti-submarine warfare, are to replace Taiwan’s aging Grumman S-2T Turbo Trackers acquired in the 1980s. According to Defense News, only a handful of the S-2Ts in the Taiwanese Navy’s lineup are still operational and none are mission capable.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated