Global warming leads to extreme climate changes and Taiwan is no exception. NASC of MOI has been working with several agencies to simulate the impacts of different types of complex accidents and disasters to predict the severity and range of damage; develop appropriate rescue equipment; take necessary preventive actions; strengthen mission combination training; and ultimately establish all-weather, 3-dimensional and highly mobile air relief capacities.
NASC is currently working to replace the old helicopter fleet with new, and very meticulous about the progress of the delivery of these new birds. A series of simulations are being conducted on receiving the new aircrafts and training qualified pilots and aircraft-related missions. Not only is a new team designated to receive the aircrafts, but also relevant trainings, maneuver simulations and field simulations at seaports are planned for the flight crew. Response solutions and improvement plans are prepared for receiving the aircrafts with “no safety risk.”
NASC received the 3rd delivery of one UH-60M Blackhawk (No. NA-704) successfully on August 7 of 2017. The Black Hawk was accompanied by another Black Hawk (No. NA-703) and an AS-365 Dauphin (No. NA-106) on the way back from Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport to Taichung Chingchuankang Airport. The NA-704 Black Hawk was in the Florida training base in the U.S. and used for NASC seed instructor trainings. As the training mission came to an end, the Black Hawk was shipped from the U.S. at the end of June and arrived in Kaohsiung on August 6. As soon as this Black Hawk arrived, it is ready for implementing air rescue missions and enhancing flood control preparedness.
NASC now has 6 Black Hawks (3 received in 2015; 2 in July of 2016, and 1 in August of 2017) and is expected to receive 3 more by the end of 2017 and 6 in 2020. In other words, there will be 15 Black Hawks, 9 AS-365 Dauphins and a BE-200 aircraft flying together for the 5 types of mission.
Besides, NASC has specially requested Central Weather Bureau to customize a weather information service platform for NASC in order to promote and utilize digital information technology, have longitudinal and lateral communications timely, and immediately respond to all weather conditions. Equipped with an extreme weather monitoring system, the platform allows real-time access to sea states, weather forecasts and astronomic information. It enables NASC to receive accurate weather information for planning the flight routes and range of search and rescue missions at “any time” and in “any place”.
During the flood season, NASC has captured the spirit of team work to continuously launch new aircrafts, renovate and construct the bases and enhance e-information technology to better protect the lives and assets of all nationals.