No comment from Taiwan, U.S. on U.S. military stopover in Taipei
ROC Central News Agency
07/15/2021 06:36 PM
Taipei, July 15 (CNA) Neither Taiwan nor the United States has commented on reports that a U.S. Air Force C-146A Wolfhound transport aircraft made a brief stopover in Taipei on Thursday morning.
The American Institute in Taiwan's Taipei office said Thursday it had no comment on the reports, which suggested that the aircraft flew from Okinawa, Japan, and landed at around 9:30 a.m at Taipei's Songshan Airport, where it stayed for less than an hour before departing.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense declined to comment or provide any information on the matter.
However, Taiwan's Air Force, which operates a military airbase at Songshan Airport, said it was not involved in the aircraft's landing or have any contact with the aircraft's crew.
The purpose of the reported journey by the U.S. military remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), a ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, made several suggestions on social media but added that the Taiwanese and American authorities have yet to confirm the reports.
According to Wang, the aircraft could have delivered personnel or goods to or from Taiwan, or could have stopped over briefly for repairs.
The C-146A Wolfhound, built by American company Fairchild, is the military version of the manufacturer's Dornier 328 turboprop commuter airliner modified to permit cargo and personnel transport missions, the U.S. Air Force notes on its website.
The aircraft is tasked with transporting small teams and cargo for U.S. Special Operations Command, with those missions conducted by the command aircrews, according to the U.S. military.
(By Chung Yu-chen and Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/AW
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