TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The armed forces held a rehearsal in mid-June in preparation for a military display next month to mark the 70th anniversary of the Republic of China's 1945 victory over Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War, a part of World War II in which Japan and the other axis powers were defeated.
In the run-up to the recently concluded large-scale event on July 4, the military held the rehearsal at a military base in Hukou, Hsinchu County, which was opened to the media, students and people interested in defense affairs.
A total of 3,858 military personnel participated in the rehearsal, which was inspected by Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yen De-fa (嚴德發), the military said.
The rehearsal began with a drill by army special forces to demonstrate their combat skills, followed by a flyover and a parade on the ground, which included the country's advanced aircraft, weapons systems, equipment and vehicles.
A total of 64 military aircraft of various types participated in the flyover, including the U.S.-made AH-64E Apache attack helicopter, the Army's most advanced attack helicopter; the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter and the P-3C sub-hunting aircraft, also bought from the U.S.
Other helicopters taking part were the EC225 and the S-70C, used for rescue missions, as well as the OH-58D reconnaissance helicopter and the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter.
F-16, Mirage 2000-5 and Indigenous Defense Fighter jets -- Taiwan's main combat aircraft -- were also involved.
The flyover was followed by the ground parade, in which various weapons systems and aircraft that were used in the eight-year war against Japan passed the review stand.
The rehearsal also included an assault drill in which 16 Army special forces soldiers rappelled from two Black Hawks to the ground. They were joined by other soldiers riding motorcycles from a CH-47D utility helicopter after it landed to fight a simulated enemy force.
The military display is among a series of events planned by Taiwan's military for this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
