The air force has decommissioned the last of its UH-1H helicopters. After decades of service, their functions are being taken over by another model.
Earlier this week, the air force bid farewell to its UH-1H helicopters, a model that has been in use in Taiwan for 50 years.
For the decommissioning ceremony, one of the final UH-1H helicopters in service unloaded six special forces members as it touched down. Trailing the old helicopter was one of its new replacements, a UH-60M Blackhawk.
In the next stage of the ceremony, the pilots of the two helicopters disembarked and walked towards one another. The pilot of the older UH-1H helicopter handed over a large D-ring used during rescues to the pilot of the newer Blackhawk, symbolically entrusting the new helicopters with their mission.
Taiwan purchased its first UH-1 helicopter in 1969. Over the years, the air force procured a total of 118 of these helicopters, and worked with the US to upgrade them into UH-1H helicopters.
At the end of the ceremony, the last of these helicopters were showered in water as a final salute, relieving them of their duty after five-decades.