Second Batch of Apaches Arrive in Taiwan

Six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters arrived in Taiwan on schedule Thursday, the second batch in a 30-helicopter deal with the United States.

The US-made aircraft were shipped to a harbor in the southern city of Kaohsiung, from which they will be carried by truck to an Army Aviation Special Forces base in neighboring Tainan for assembly, military officials said.

Taiwan spent more than US$2 billion on the model-E helicopters, the most advanced of the Apache series.

The first batch of six helicopters, delivered in early November, have been grounded for safety checks since Dec. 17 after a malfunction in a helicopter of the same model used by the US Army.

No problems have been found in Taiwan's first six Apaches, but the newly delivered helicopters will still be grounded for safety checks, according to a military source familiar with the matter.

Pilots at the Tainan base will use simulators for training purposes while checks continue, the source said.

Taiwan has not received any further information from the US on the cause of the problem, Army Aviation Special Forces officials said.

The third batch of Apache helicopters is scheduled to arrive in March, followed by the fourth batch in May and the fifth in July, the military source said.

Taiwan is the only country other than the US to be in possession of the latest model of Apache helicopter known for its ground attack capabilities. [via]