Republic of China Navy aviation
Republic of China Navy aviation is Taiwan’s small shipborne anti-submarine arm — 17 S-70C helicopters and a handful of 500MDs flying from Zuoying, Hualien and the navy’s frigates — re-formed in 1977, briefly the owner of the S-2T Tracker fleet from 1999 to 2013, and still waiting for the MH-60R it chose in 2014.
The Taiwanese naval aviation story: Defenders, Thunderhawks and fourteen years of Trackers
Before 1977: a navy without aircraft
For most of its life in Taiwan the Republic of China Navy had no aircraft of its own. English Wikipedia says the Fleet Helicopter Squadron, formed on 1 September 1977, ended a hiatus in naval aviation of almost four decades that began with the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. In between, the job of hunting submarines in the Taiwan Strait fell to the air force: its official history records an anti-submarine squadron with S-2A Trackers from November 1966, S-2Es from April 1976 and a full anti-submarine group from February 1979. What the navy’s pre-war air units flew and where is not covered in the sources reached for this page and is left out.
1977–1990: Defenders and Thunderhawks
The navy’s first aircraft were small helicopters for its destroyers. The 500MD/ASW Defender is still on its list of aircraft, which says that with only about two hours’ endurance it is used mainly to localise and attack submarines; English Wikipedia counts seven left of 13 and Chinese Wikipedia nine. The real step came with the Sikorsky S-70C, a navalised Black Hawk with radar, dipping sonar, sonobuoys and torpedoes. The navy says the purchase was decided in 1983 and the first batch handed over on 19 July 1990. They fly from the Cheng Kung- and Kang Ding-class frigates; English Wikipedia places the 701st Squadron at Hualien and the 702nd and the 500MD-equipped 501st at Zuoying, the naval base in Kaohsiung.
1999–2013: the navy’s fixed-wing years
In July 1999 the air force handed its anti-submarine group to the navy. English Wikipedia says 27 S-2T Turbo Trackers — old airframes re-engined with turboprops from 1992 — went to the ROCN Aviation Command (海軍航空指揮部) on 1 July 1999, and for 14 years the navy flew fixed-wing patrol aircraft. Chinese Wikipedia says 32 were meant to be converted and only 27 were. On 1 July 2013 the experiment ended: the fixed-wing aircraft went back to the air force and the Aviation Command was reduced, on the same day, to the 海軍航空反潛大隊, the anti-submarine aviation group of today. The Trackers were withdrawn in May 2017.
The P-3C: whose aircraft?
The P-3C Orion sits on the line between the two services. English Wikipedia says the Republic of China Navy obtained 12 P-3Cs under US Foreign Military Sales in 2007, with deliveries from 2012, and still lists them under the navy. The air force’s own site says the P-3C was first introduced into the ROCAF in 2013, the year the fixed-wing fleet changed hands, and Chinese Wikipedia’s account of the transfer agrees. This page follows the official site: the Orions were a navy programme that entered service with the air force, and they appear on the air force page as current aircraft. No source reached says whether any flew in naval service before the transfer.
A shrinking helicopter fleet
The helicopter fleet is small and getting older. Taiwan News reported in October 2025 that the navy had bought 21 S-70Cs, lost four in major accidents and had 17 left; Flight International counted 19 at the end of 2018. Anti-submarine helicopters were chosen as early as 2014, with the MH-60R Seahawk as the preferred type, but they kept losing out to other priorities in the budget. Accidents still happen on a smaller scale: on 12 March 2026 an S-70C on a training flight from Zuoying dropped an auxiliary fuel tank into the sea 29.6 km offshore when the co-pilot pressed the wrong button, and the navy promised better training. No combat operation by the navy’s aircraft was found in the sources reached.
2024–2026: Seahawk talks and an air force drone
In October 2025 Taiwan News reported that the navy would reopen talks with the United States on more than 12 MH-60Rs, with sonar, torpedoes and Hellfire missiles, and had set up a team to work out numbers, cost and schedule; in March 2026 a Kuomintang city councillor’s alternative to the government’s special defence budget also put the MH-60R near the top of the list. No contract had been announced by October 2026. The MQ-9B drones that began flying at Hualien in September 2026 are not naval aircraft: Taiwan News says they belong to the air force’s 12th Squadron, even though their main task is long-range maritime patrol. Taiwan’s naval air arm therefore remains what it was in 1990: a group of shipborne anti-submarine helicopters.
The Republic of China Navy aviation in numbers
Service
- Native name
- 海軍航空反潛大隊The name Chinese Wikipedia gives the unit since 1 July 2013, when the 海軍航空指揮部 (Naval Aviation Command) was reduced in status; English Wikipedia calls it the Naval Antisubmarine Aviation Command. The navy’s own site lists the aircraft but not the unit’s name
- Re-formed
- 1 September 1977The Fleet Helicopter Squadron marked the return of naval aviation, ending a hiatus of almost four decades since the Second Sino-Japanese War began
- Part of
- Republic of China NavyThe navy’s organisation chart shows the Fleet Command, Marine Corps Command, training and maintenance commands; the aviation unit is not shown separately
- Commander of the Navy
- Adm. Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國)From the navy’s site; the aviation group’s own commander is not published. Romanisation ours
- Fixed-wing era
- 1999–2013The air force’s S-2T anti-submarine group served under the navy from 1 July 1999 until the fixed-wing aircraft returned to the air force on 1 July 2013
Strength
- Helicopters
-
- S-70C(M)-1/2 Thunderhawk — 17
- 500MD/ASW Defender — 7–9
S-70C figure from Taiwan News (October 2025); the 500MD count differs between the English and Chinese Wikipedia
- Fixed-wing aircraft
- NoneTransferred to the air force on 1 July 2013; the P-3C Orions fly with the air force
- Drones
- None confirmedTaiwan’s MQ-9B SkyGuardians belong to the air force’s 12th Squadron at Hualien
- Losses
- Four S-70CsLost in major accidents out of 21 bought, according to Taiwan News; dates not given
Infrastructure
- Helicopter bases
-
- Zuoying (Tsoying), Kaohsiung — 702nd (S-70C) and 501st (500MD) squadrons
- Hualien — 701st Squadron (S-70C)
Squadron locations from English Wikipedia; Taiwan News confirms S-70C flying from Zuoying in March 2026
- At sea
- Frigate flight decksThe navy says the S-70C works from the Cheng Kung- and Kang Ding-class frigates
- Former fixed-wing base
- Pingtung (S-2T, 1999–2013)The S-2T group came from the air force’s 6th Composite Wing, whose home is Pingtung; the navy’s use of the field is inferred from that, not stated in a source
How the Republic of China Navy aviation is organised
A single anti-submarine aviation group of three helicopter squadrons, flying from Zuoying, Hualien and the navy’s frigates. 17 S-70C Thunderhawks of 21 bought are the backbone, with a handful of 500MD Defenders; the navy has had no fixed-wing aircraft since they returned to the air force on 1 July 2013. Talks on more than 12 MH-60R Seahawks were to reopen in October 2025; no contract had been announced by October 2026.
Navy anti-submarine aviation group
The navy’s aviation unit since 1 July 2013, when the Naval Aviation Command was reduced in status as its fixed-wing aircraft returned to the air force; English Wikipedia calls it the Naval Antisubmarine Aviation Command. Its commander is not published; the Commander of the Navy is Admiral Chiang Cheng-kuo.
701st Helicopter Squadron
S-70C(M)-1 Thunderhawks at Hualien, according to English Wikipedia.
702nd Helicopter Squadron
S-70C(M)-2 Thunderhawks at Zuoying, according to English Wikipedia; Taiwan News confirms S-70Cs flying from Zuoying in 2026. Of 21 S-70Cs bought, four have been lost and 17 remain.
501st Helicopter Squadron
500MD/ASW Defenders at Zuoying, according to English Wikipedia; 7–9 remain, the English and Chinese Wikipedia disagree.
What the Republic of China Navy aviation flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikorsky S-70C(M)-1/2 ThunderhawkIn service | Anti-submarine and search and rescue helicopter | 17 | 1990 | 21 bought, four lost in accidents, 17 in service (Taiwan News, October 2025).
MoreFlight International counted nine S-70C(M)-1 and ten S-70C(M)-2 in December 2018 (19); English Wikipedia’s navy article lists 18. |
||
| McDonnell Douglas (Hughes) 500MD/ASW DefenderIn service | Light anti-submarine helicopter | 7–9 in service: English Wikipedia says 7 of an original 13; Chinese Wikipedia gives 9. |
Every type the Republic of China Navy aviation has retired
2 types, from the Grumman S-2T Turbo Tracker to the Grumman S-2T Turbo Tracker. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grumman S-2T Turbo Tracker | Anti-submarine patrol aircraft | 27 | 1999–2013 | P-3C (with the air force) | 27 S-2Ts transferred from the air force on 1 July 1999 (English Wikipedia). Chinese Wikipedia says 32 were meant to be converted but only 27 were. | |
| Lockheed P-3C Orion | Maritime patrol aircraft | 12 | 12 obtained through US Foreign Military Sales in 2007. |
Where Taiwan’s navy helicopters fly from
Black pins are active bases. Two of the three squadrons are at Zuoying, the naval base in Kaohsiung, and one is a tenant at the air force’s Hualien base on the Pacific coast. Pingtung is shown because the S-2T anti-submarine group the navy took over in 1999 came from the air force wing based there; that the navy flew it from Pingtung is an inference. Zuoying’s helicopter field has no published position and carries no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HualienChiashanHualien County, Xincheng Township | RCYU | Active | 03/212,750 mconcrete |
|
| PingtungPingtung County | RCSQ | Active | 08/262,438 m |
|
| Zuoying naval air stationTsoyingKaohsiung City, Zuoying District | Active |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Republic of China Navy aviation
Flying units by base, current units first. Navy helicopter squadrons are numbered in the 500s and 700s: the 701st and 702nd fly the S-70C, the 501st the 500MD. Squadron locations rest on English Wikipedia, and the entries say so.
- 702nd Helicopter SquadronAnti-submarine helicopter squadron · active
- S-70C(M)-2 Thunderhawk
- 501st Helicopter SquadronLight anti-submarine helicopter squadron · active
- 500MD/ASW Defender
- 701st Helicopter SquadronAnti-submarine helicopter squadron · active
- S-70C(M)-1 Thunderhawk
- Navy anti-submarine group (S-2T)1999–2013
- S-2T Turbo Tracker
No unit matches that search.
Republic of China Navy aviation milestones, 1914 to today
November: the air force forms an anti-submarine squadron with S-2A Trackers, the forerunner of the navy’s fixed-wing group.
1 September: the navy’s Fleet Helicopter Squadron is formed, the return of naval aviation after almost four decades.
February: the air force’s anti-submarine squadron becomes a group.
The S-70C purchase is decided, according to the navy.
19 July: the first S-70C helicopters are handed to the navy.
15 October: the S-2T begins to replace the S-2E in the air force’s anti-submarine group.
1 July: 27 S-2Ts and the anti-submarine group pass from the air force to the navy’s Aviation Command.
12 P-3C Orions are obtained under US Foreign Military Sales, a programme English Wikipedia credits to the navy.
1 July: the fixed-wing aircraft return to the air force and the Naval Aviation Command is reduced to an anti-submarine aviation group. The air force introduces the P-3C.
Anti-submarine helicopters are chosen, with the MH-60R as the type, but are left out of later budgets, according to Taiwan News.
May: the last S-2T Trackers are withdrawn, by then in air force service.
December: Flight International counts nine S-70C(M)-1 and ten S-70C(M)-2 helicopters.
November: the 2025 budget is reported to include spare parts for the S-70C.
October: Taiwan News reports talks to reopen on more than 12 MH-60Rs; 17 of 21 S-70Cs remain.
12 March: an S-70C from Zuoying drops a fuel tank at sea. 30 September: S-70Cs fly in the National Day rehearsal.
Who built the Republic of China Navy aviation fleet
Every company behind the aircraft on this page has its own page: the story, every type it built, the numbers and the other air forces that fly them.
Current fleet and orders
Everything people ask about the Republic of China Navy aviation
Does Taiwan’s navy have its own aircraft?
What is the navy’s aviation unit called?
Does the navy fly the P-3C Orion?
Are Taiwan’s MQ-9B drones navy aircraft?
How many S-70C helicopters does the navy have?
Is Taiwan buying the MH-60R Seahawk?
Did Taiwan’s navy ever fly the S-2 Tracker?
Where are Taiwan’s navy helicopters based?
When did Taiwan’s naval aviation start?
Read the aircraft the Republic of China Navy aviation flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- ROC Navy: 航空飛行器 (aircraft)The navy lists two aircraft types, the S-70C anti-submarine helicopter and the 500MD anti-submarine helicopter.
- ROC Navy: S-70C 反潛直升機Purchase decided in 1983; first batch handed to the navy on 19 July 1990; anti-submarine primary role with radar, dipping sonar, sonobuoys and torpedoes; operates from Cheng Kung- and Kang Ding-class frigates.
- ROC Navy: 500MD 反潛直升機Specifications only; endurance about two hours, used mainly to localise and attack submarines.
- ROC Navy: 組織架構 (organisational structure)Navy Headquarters with the Fleet Command, Marine Corps Command, Education, Training and Doctrine Development Command and Maintenance Command; aviation units not shown separately.
- ROC Navy: 司令簡介 (commander)Admiral 蔣正國 (Chiang Cheng-kuo), Commander of the Navy; date of appointment not given.
- ROCAF: P-3CThe air force says the P-3C was first introduced into the ROCAF in 2013.
- ROCAF: History of the 6th Composite WingAnti-submarine squadron with S-2As from November 1966; S-2Es from April 1976; expanded to a group in February 1979; S-2Ts from 15 October 1992; group transferred to the navy in July 1999.
- Taiwan News: Taiwan to reopen talks with US on buying Seahawk helicopters (7 October 2025)21 S-70Cs bought, four lost, 17 in service; MH-60R first chosen in 2014 but left out of budgets; more than 12 to be discussed.
- Taiwan News: Navy helicopter loses fuel tank over sea near Kaohsiung (12 March 2026)S-70C from Zuoying dropped an auxiliary tank 29.6 km offshore after a co-pilot pressed the wrong button.
- Taiwan News: KMT ties special defense budget to US arms sale offers (5 March 2026)A KMT Taoyuan city councillor’s alternative plan would prioritise MH-60R helicopters among other items.
- Taiwan News: Biden approves NT$10.7 billion military equipment sale to Taiwan (20 November 2024)The 2025 defence budget includes spare parts for S-70C anti-submarine helicopters and P-3C aircraft among others.
- Taiwan News: Taiwan military stages National Day flyover rehearsal (30 September 2026)S-70C helicopters in the National Day flypast rehearsal over the Presidential Office.
- Taiwan News: Taiwan tests MQ-9B drones at Hualien Air Base (15 September 2026)The MQ-9Bs are assigned to the Air Force’s 12th Squadron under the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hualien; no navy role mentioned.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle: Republic of China Air Force bases (Hualien, Pingtung)The Hualien and Pingtung rows, with coordinates, runways and history, are kept in the air force dataset.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Greg Johnson / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Alan Wilson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: HawkeyeUK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)