A US Air Force aircraft has made a brief, unannounced stop at an airport in central Taipei. Taiwanese and American government officials have declined to comment on the reason for the plane’s landing at Songshan Airport on Thursday.
Taiwan’s air force says that it was not responsible for handling ground operations involving the craft at Songshan Airport.
Foreign and National Defense Committee member Wang Ting-yu commented on the landing in a Facebook post on Thursday. He says the C-146A Wolfhound aircraft arrived from Okinawa, Japan on Thursday morning, remaining for a little over 10 minutes before taking off from the airport. Wang says there could be any number of reasons for the stop-off, including the need for repairs, parts inspection, or transporting people or cargo to or from Taiwan. He says it is up to the governments of Taiwan and the US to explain the landing.
According to the US Air Force website, C-146A Wolfhounds are normally responsible for providing “flexible and responsive operational movement of small teams and cargo” for the US Special Operations Command. They can carry a maximum of 27 passengers.