The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF; Chinese: 中華民國空軍; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Kōngjūn), known colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force (Chinese: 臺灣空軍; pinyin: Táiwān Kōngjūn), is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Armed Forces.
The history of the ROCAF traces back to 1920, when military aviation was first introduced by the Kuomintang within its National Revolutionary Army as its air force. It later became a fully independent service branch from 17 August 1946 under the name Chinese Air Force.
The ROCAF's primary mission is the defense of the airspace over and around the Taiwan Area under the territorial jurisdiction of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Priorities of the ROCAF include the development of long range reconnaissance and surveillance networks, integrating C4ISTAR systems to increase battle effectiveness, procuring counterstrike weapons, next generation fighters, and hardening airfields and other facilities to survive a surprise attack.
Organization
Like most of the other branches of the ROC armed forces, much of the ROCAF's structure and organization is patterned after the United States Air Force. Like the USAF, the ROCAF used to have a wing → group → squadron structure. After November 2004, tactical fighter wing switch to wing → Tactical Fighter Group, with some fighter squadrons stood down, with each tactical fighter group, still pretty much the same size as a squadron, now commanded by a full colonel.
The main operational units in Taiwan Air Force include: 6 tactical combat aircraft wings. 1 transport and antisubmarine wing. 1 tactical control wing. 1 communication and ATC wing. 1 weather forecasting wing. 1 Air Defense and Artillery command, comprising combat control center, 5 Brigade, 16 air defense artillery battalions.
Republic of China Air Force Command Headquarters
Air Force GHQ is subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff (military), the Minister of National Defense (civilian) and the President. Internal Units: Personnel, Combat Readiness and Training, Logistics, Planning, Communications, Electronics & Information, General Affairs, Comptroller, Inspector General, Political Warfare. Republic of China Air Force Academy Aviation Science and Technology Development Center
Major commands Air Force Combatant Command Weather Wing: Tamsui, New Taipei City Communications, Air Traffic Control & Information Wing : Taipei City Air Tactical Control Wing Ground fixed and mobile long-range air search radar sites, consist of various TPS-117, TPS-75V, FPS-117, GE-592 and HADR radars, plus 1 PAVE PAWS (Phased Array Warning System) early warning radar site in northern Taiwan, will enter service late 2012. Air Force Maintenance and Support Command Air Force Air Defense and Missile Command 5 Air Force Air Defense and Artillery Brigade:791st Brigade, 792nd Brigade, 793rd Brigade, 794th Brigade,795th Brigade 2 Air Defense Missile I-HAWK battalions, 621st, and 623rd battalions, with 9 companies/batteries. 2 TK-1/2 Air Defense Missile battalion, 793rd Brigade, 611th battalion with 6 companies/batteries. 4 TK-3 Air Defense Missile battalion, 792nd Brigade. 3 Patriot PAC-2+ GEM/PAC-3 Air Defense/Anti-Ballistic Missile battalion, with 9 mixed companies/batteries that are all upgrading to PAC-3 standard, with 6 more PAC 3 companies/batteries on order. 1 Skyguard Short Range Airbase Air Defense battalion, with 6 companies/batteries and radar sub units with OTO 35mm AAA, s 2 Antelope Short Range Airbase Air Defense battalions, with unknown companies/batteries. At least 2 AAA Air Defense Artillery battalions, with 40mm/L70 and 20mm AAA guns. Air Defense Artillery Training Center: Pingtung Target Service Squadron Education Service Support Company First training company Second training company Third training company Education, Training & Doctrine Command
Combat wings Combat wingCombat group/squadronAir baseModel Air Force Songshan Base Command Special Transport Squadron, Presidential Flight Songshan Airport, Taipei, Taiwan Beech 1900, Fokker 50, Boeing 737–800Air Force Makung Base Command 1 detachment Makung Airport, Huxi, Taiwan AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo 1st (443rd) Tactical Fighter Wing 1st, 3rd, 9th Tactical Fighter Groups Tainan Air Base, Tainan, Taiwan Penghu Airport, Magong, Penghu AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo 2nd (499th) Tactical Fighter Wing 41st and 42nd Tactical Fighter Groups, 48th Training Group Hsinchu Air Base, Hsinchu, Taiwan Mirage 2000-5 3rd (427th) Tactical Fighter Wing 7th and 28th Tactical Fighter Groups Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taichung, Taiwan AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo 4th (455th) Tactical Fighter Wing 21st, 22nd, 23rd Tactical Fighter Groups, Air Rescue Group Chiayi Air Base, Chiayi, Taiwan F-16A/B, F-16V, Sikorsky S-70, UH-60M, EC-225 5th (401st) Tactical Fighter Wing 17th, 26th, 27th, Tactical Fighter Groups, 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron Hualien Airport Chiashan Air Force Base, Hualien, Taiwan F-16A/B, RF-16, RF-5E, F-5F 6th (439th) Tactical Mixed Wing 10th Tactical Airlift Group, 20th EW Group, 2nd and 6th EW Squadrons Pingtung Air Base, Pingtung, TaiwanKinmen Airport, KinmenDongsha Airport Taiping Island Airport E-2K, C-130H, P-3C 7th (737th) Tactical Fighter Wing 7th Tactical Fighter Group Chihhang Air Base, Taitung, Taiwan T-5 flight training command Air Force Academy Gangshan Air Base, Kaohsiung, Taiwan AT-3, T-5
History Early
During the Qing dynasty, aircraft operations first began at the Beijing Nanyuan airfield in 1909, just before the end of their rule following the Double Ten Revolution in 1911, and Nanyuan airfield became the place where Chinese military aviation begins.
In July 1917, Qing loyalist general Zhang Xun led the Manchu Restoration, and then-Premier of the Republic Duan Qirui ordered the aerial bombing of the Forbidden City; the mission was carried out in a Caudron Type D aircraft piloted by Pan Shizhong () and bombardier Du Yuyuan () flying out of Nanyuan airfield, dropping three bombs over the Forbidden City, which caused the fatality of a eunuch, but otherwise inflicted minor damage.
On the 29th of November, 1920, the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT) established the "Aviation Department" within the National Revolutionary Army commanding structure, began with four Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" training aircraft. The "Aviation Department" was reformed into "Aviation Ministry" on the 1st of November 1928, and later on the 17th of August 1933, the "Aviation Ministry" was expanded as the Aviation Affairs Commission () directly under the Military Affairs Commission, thereby technically the arrangement was more like an "army air service". The "Command Post of the Air Force" served as the executive body of the Aviation Affairs Commission.
The "Nationalist Air Force", emerged as a centralised air arm during the 1930s, consolidating various provincial warlord air units and integrating overseas Chinese aviators. This unification gained urgency in the 1930s as Imperial Japan expanded its aggression in East Asia. Notably, the Kwangsi Clique, was the last major faction to merge into the central air command in November 1937, shortly before their airmen earned recognition at the Battle of T’aierhchuang
The Air Force first engaged Japanese forces during the January 28 Incident of 1932; the Japanese launched combat aircraft from Hungchiao Aerodrome in Shanghai, as well as Type 3 fighters and Type 13 attack-bombers from the aircraft carriers Hōshō and Kaga, where a Chinese Junkers K 47 engaged them in a dogfight on their raid over Qiaosi Air Base, with neither side losing aircraft, however U.S. Reserve Lt. Robert McCawley Short, while ferrying Chinese aircraft, scored an aerial victory before being shot down killed in action. His posthumous promotion to colonel marked the early involvement of foreign personnel in Chinese air operations.
By the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II (1937–45), the Air Force operated Curtiss Hawk IIs/IIIs, Boeing P-26s, and Fiat CR.32s as frontline fighters, while bomber/attack aircraft included A-12 Shrikes, He-111s, Northrop Gammas. On August 14, 1937 — "Air Force Memorial Day” — Chinese Hawk IIIs of the 4th Pursuit Group under Col. Kao Chih-hang intercepted Japanese G3M bombers over Chienchiao Aerodrome, commemorating the first major aerial battle engagement of the Second Sino-Japanese War/WWII. Chinese-American volunteer combat aviators (e.g. Art Chin, John Wong Pan-yang, et al.) as well as former warlord-air force aviators (e.g. Cen Zeliu, Zhu Jiaxun, et al.) valiantly distinguished themselves in service to the Republic of China Air Force. As the war progressed, the Chinese Air Force remained a viable fighting force with replenishment Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighter planes, as well as a volunteer group of Soviet pilots, all made possible under the 1937 Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.
As major cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, and Taiyuan fell, and the cutting off of high-octane aviation fuel supplies and war material increased, the Chinese wartime capital was pushed-back to Wuhan under Japan's superior aircraft production, technological development and training regiment, further widening of the performance gap. In 1938, Chinese Martin B-10 bombers led by Captain Hsu Huang-Sheng conducted a then-unprecedented long-range leaflet-dropping raid over Japanese cities, "alerting the conscience of the Japanese people" of the imperialist Japanese aggressions and war crimes in China; one of the earliest Chinese attempts at strategic psychological warfare.
As the Chinese faced further setbacks under the Imperial Japanese juggernaut, the Chinese Air Force was forced to withdraw into the mountainous Sichuan interior, now having to resist the increased brutality of the massed-terror carpet-bombing campaigns of Operations “100”, “101” and "102" against new wartime capital Chongqing. Codebreaking efforts went both ways, with the Japanese naval intelligence compromising Chinese air defences, and Chinese intelligence compromising joint-strike bombing campaigns by the IJAAS and IJNAS. The introduction of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero in 1940–41 gave Japan near-total air dominance. This overwhelming aerial dominance contributed to the Japanese high command's confidence in launching Operation Z, the strategic planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor.Cheung, 2015, p. 74.
Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1939, China was largely on its own, however after the Empire of Japan invaded French Indochina, the United States imposed an oil and steel embargo against Japan and included China in the Lend-Lease Act of 1941. The American Volunteer Group (AVG), or “Flying Tigers,” arrived later in 1941 with Curtiss P-40s to protect the Allied supply route over “The Hump” from India to Kunming.
After the Pearl Harbor attack, direct U.S. military aid increased in earnest as successful war against the Empire of Japan relied on keeping the Chinese well-supplied. By late 1941, the Chinese Air Force had only 364 operational aircraft, but Lend-Lease deliveries in 1942—P-40s, A-29s, and P-43s—restored some capacity. In 1944, the Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) was formed, integrating Chinese and U.S. personnel under the USAAF Fourteenth Air Force. The Chinese-American wing fielded modern aircraft and proved highly effective in joint operations, helping turn the tide of the air war in China's favour during the final years of World War II.
On the 16th of August 1946, the "Aviation Affairs Commission" was reorganised as the "Air Force Command Headquarters" in the Ministry of National Defense, and the Chinese Nationalist air force was officially given the name Republic of China Air Force ().
Retreat to Taiwan