A formerly top-secret aircraft shelter hollowed out of a mountain in Taitung, eastern Taiwan, was revealed to the press yesterday.
The site is a smaller version of Hualien's Chiashan base and is capable of housing dozens of fighter planes. It was designed to preserve the air force's second strike capability during war time.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The aircraft shelter, in Taitung's Chihhang air base, was built several years ago to supplement facilities at the base -- which started operations in 1993 -- as part of the so-called "Chienan" project.
The opening of the site to the media was intended to demonstrate the air force's combat strength, which it routinely does in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year. Photographers, however, were forbidden to take photos of the site's outward appearance.
In Hsinchu, the 499th combat wing showcased scrambles by Mirage 2000 fighter planes and the manual fitting of Magic air-to-air missiles to a Mirage.
The 499th is the only combat wing of the air force that uses Mirage 2000 fighters and it has also been a training ground for air force leaders in recent years. Former premier and defense minister Tang Fei (
Tang's later success as both a military and political leader helped create a trend in the air force to look to the 499th wing, also known as the second wing, for its future prospective leaders.
For example, Lieutenant General Ke Kuan-yueh (
Meanwhile, at Taitung's Chihhang air base, it was shown how the problems of a shortage of combat pilots is to be solved through intensified training at its F-5E and F-5F training squadrons.
The F-5E and F-5F training squadrons prepare air force academy graduates before they fly fighter planes.
Base leaders said that, starting from February, a total of 64 fully trained pilots will be assigned in sequence to fighter wings comprised of second-generation fighters planes, including Mirage 2000, F-16s and the IDF.
One of the trainees, a captain who only be identified by his surname Mo, told the Taipei Times that one of the main factors slowing the supply of new pilots to combat units was the number of required training hours.
"We need to fly 400 hours as trainees before we can be accepted as combat pilots. To meet this requirement takes time. Although the training process is long, I think it will make us become more confident and competent as combat pilots," Mo said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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