Tainan Air Base Open House 2019 ⋆ MAphotoSG

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The Tainan Air Base was open to the public from 7am to 4pm on 19 Oct 2019, attracting around 160,000 visitors.

There were up to 30 hardware on static display this year. The aircraft on static display were two IDFs, an F-16A, a Mirage 2000-5, an F-5F Tiger II, AT-3 and T-34 trainer jets, P-3C anti-submarine aircraft, E-2K Airborne Early Warning aircraft, the C-130 Transport aircraft and a UH-60M rescue helicopter. An AH-1W attack helicopter and a OH-58H both from the Army Aviation were also on display together with a wide array of ground-based air defence equipment. Of note, this was also a first for the Wan Chien (萬劍) air-to-ground cruise missile to be revealed to the public in an open house.

Five Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs) from resident unit, the 1st Tactical Fighter Group (1TFG), took off at 9am to demonstrate a routine training sortie. The five-ship IDFs flew a five-ship formation and each IDF peeled off over the airbase for recovery 20 minutes later.

The Thunder Tigers Aerobatic team consisting seven AT-3 advanced trainers kickstarted the aerial display performances at 9.25am. This was followed by single demonstrations by the IDF, Mirage 2000-5 and the F-16A, each lasting about 15 minutes. All ten jets parked at the flight line in front of the crowd after the performance and the pilots were greeted by waves from the crowd.

The Air Force Military Band and Honour Guards, and students from the schools and tertiary education institutions in Tainan performed in the afternoon to entertain the afternoon crowd. At Hangar Four, member of the public could view the recruitment booths set up by the various military units or participate in games. There were also outdoor booths under tents selling food, drinks, and souvenirs. The event came to a close with five IDFs performing the same landing sequence as the 9am flight for the afternoon sortie.

01. Welcome to the Tainan Air Base Open House