Today (27), the National Airborne Service Corps, MOI held the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the hanger shed at Songshan Base. Accompanied by Minister Lin Yu-Chang of the Ministry of the Interior, Premier Chen Chien-Jen of the Executive Yuan hosted the groundbreaking ceremony. Lin Yu-Chang expressed that the existing hanger shed of the Taipei Base of the National Airborne Service Corps is old, with the capacity of parking only two dolphin helicopters. The new base under construction is an important base and hanger shed for air rescue in northern Taiwan. It allows two different kinds of helicopters – 3 UH-60M black hawk helicopters and 2 AS-365 dolphin helicopters to park there. With the deployment of these helicopters, it makes the deployment more flexible, enhancing the rescue capacity of the country and upgrading the ability to carry out rescue missions in northern Taiwan and the northeastern waters.
Lin Yu-Chang expressed that since the establishment of the National Airborne Service Corps in 2004, it had been responsible for the five major missions: air rescue, emergency rescue, air medical services, patrol and reconnaissance, and airmobile transportation. Especially in air rescue, the brave image of the corps has rooted deeply in people’s mind. In 2009, it was decided that the Ministry of Defense should transfer 15 black hawk helicopters for the prevention of disasters and rescue. To cope with the helicopters’ takeover mission, the National Airborne Service Corps began to construct new bases in different parts of Taiwan. Collaborating with the National Land Management Agency (previously Construction and Planning Agency), in recent years, the construction projects of Taichung base (2014), Kaohsiung base (2020), and Taitung base (2022) have all been completed consecutively.
Lin Yu-Chang pointed out that the National Airborne Service Corps plays an essential role in the national disaster rescue system. Since its establishment in 2004, it is approaching its 20th anniversary. Insisting on professionalism, it has completed a number of rescue missions in dangerous mountains and waters. It has now completed 108,376 mission times, saving about 8,051 people and transporting 609,698 kilograms of supplies with competent achievements, winning people’s acclaim and respect. Especially after the lifting of the epidemic and the opening of the mountains and forests, there have been increasing demands for mountain rescue, increasing the rescue load. Therefore, we have to thank the crews of the National Airborne Service Corps for carrying out their mission despite the danger.
Lin Yu-Chang also thanked the Executive Yuan for its value and support for the Airborne Service Corps. In this project, funding of NT 3.4 billion was approved to construct Songshan base. He would also like to thank the Ministry of Defense for its consideration to the whole country to provide the land and hanger shed in the format of “purchase with compensation, and demolishment and construction on behalf.” In addition to the construction of the Air Force’s hanger shed, the office, and barracks of the Airborne Service Corps, there will be spaces for the black hawk and dolphin helicopters to park there for rescue missions in northern Taiwan and northeastern waters. In the near future, the whole construction team, including Pan Asia Corp., YSL Architects & Associates, National Land Management Agency, Air Force Songshan AB Command, and National Airborne Service Corps will collaborate with each other dedicatedly with high team spirit to help complete the construction project in time with high quality. Working together, the Airborne Service Corps will endeavor to achieve the goal of having black hawk helicopters deploy on the base by the year 2028, to lay down the last piece of the puzzle. Constructing an important air rescue base in northern Taiwan, Kinmen, and offshore islands in the country, it is going to empower the people with the confidence that the National Airborne Service Corps will have the full capacity for disaster rescue.
Finally, Lin Yu-Chang also expected the colleagues to insist on the ideal of “completing missions perfectly with safety first” to provide the people with more effective and safer real time services, demonstrating the government’s dedication to saving people’s life and property.
The honorable guests that attended the groundbreaking ceremony today included Minister Lin Yu-Chang of the Ministry of the Interior, Legislator Wang Hung-Wei, Legislator Chen Yu-Chen, General Commander Ching Yen-Yuan of the National Airborne Service Corps, Director Wu Hsin-Hsou of the National Land Management Agency, Deputy Director Wang Te-Ben of the Ministry of Defense, local legislators, etc.