Taiwan military readies for victory celebrations

2015/06/15

A full rehearsal for next month’s military parade marking the ROC’s victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) was staged June 11 in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan.

A total of 64 military aircraft, 294 vehicles and 3,858 personnel participated in the event, which kicked off with a special forces demonstration followed by a flyover comprising F-16, Indigenous Defense Fighters and Mirage 2000-5 jets, as well as AH-1W Super Cobra attack, EC225 Super Puma rescue and OH-58D reconnaissance helicopters.

Gen. Yen Teh-fa, chief of the General Staff, praised participating service members for tip-top morale and peerless performance, adding that he expects to see these standards maintained during the parade next month.

“The armed forces play an invaluable role in safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation,” Yen said. “While commemorating those valiant souls who lost their lives in the eight-year battle, the military is demonstrating its absolute commitment to thwarting any potential threats.”

Also sharing center stage at the rehearsal were recent hardware acquisitions such as AH-64E Apache attack and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, as well as P-3C anti-submarine aircraft and PAC-3 missile units. They were joined by homegrown weapon systems like the CM-33 Clouded Leopard armored vehicle, Hsiung Feng III supersonic missile and unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the parade will take place July 4 in conjunction with Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=231433&ctNode=413)