armed forces shining the brightest with an unprecedented military display. The rally began at the Presidential Office plaza at 9:00 a.m. with hundreds of elementary school, high school and college students performing rock-n-roll, traditional Hakka folk dances and dances telling Taiwanese folk tales.
The dances were followed by a performance staged by tri-service marching bands on the ground, with a breathtaking flyby performed by the air force showcasing aircraft purchased in the years since the last display of this type in 1991, including the AH-1W attack helicopter, the OH-58D combat search helicopter, the S-70C chopper, and fixed-wing aircraft such as the U.S.-made F-16 and France-made Mirage 2000 jet fighters, and home-grown IDF fighters. They flew in formation to kick off the military parade.
The most eye-catching weapons were the supersonic Hsiung Feng-3 ship-to-ship missile, which is believed capable of attacking fuel tanks and ammunition depots on a vessel; and the anti-tactical ballistic missile Tien Kung-3, which is believed to be able to track and knock down aircraft and cruise missiles.
