The biannual Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition kicked off on Thursday at the Taipei World Trade Center featuring a huge pavilion being run by the Ministry of National Defense that allows the public to see cutting-edge weaponry used by the the Republic of China Armed Forces.

"The MND has been promoting Taiwans aerospace industry as well as developing technology that can be used for both civil and military purposes, and will actively attend the biennial event in order to seize the opportunity to show the Taiwanese people the achievements of the nations military in recent years," Administrative Deputy Minister of the MND Liao Tieh-ming said at a press conference before the opening of the exhibition on Wednesday.

Besides the huge MND pavilion, the show also features other local and foreign aviation companies such as Aerospace Industrial Development Corp., Dassualt, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

One of the highlights of this years exhibition, the Clouded Leopard Armored Vehicle, is an eight-wheeled armored vehicle developed by the Ordnances Readiness and Development Center.

"Its agile and swift and has proven able to meet its demands on the simulated battlegrounds of Taiwan. The armored vehicle on display comes with woodland Digital Camouflage, which renders the vehicle hard to detect in a forested environment," explained a major with the Combined Logistics Command, Yeh Jung-yao.

The MNDs Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology is exhibiting two of their newest aircrafts, the Blue Magpie Mini-UAV and the Flamingo II Target Drone. Both are unmanned aircraft, with the Magpie designed for battlefield surveillance and the Flamingo for aerial target.

The army will be showing off its latest tank-driving simulator along with a digital command simulation platform and electric target system that allows trainees to undergo rigid training before progressing to live fire.

Not to be outdone, the navy is also exhibiting a simulation machine that trains officers on how to enter and leave harbors and two high-tech aerial devices used by the navy - the P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and the S-70C helicopter.

"The P-3C and the S-70C are the main aircraft in the R.O.C. Air Force. Both are equipped with torpedoes that can attack underwater enemy directly and conduct antisubmarine operations," explained Lieutenant Steven Tsai, a co-pilot for the Navy who served as a narrator at the exhibition.

On display in the Air Force section are models of R.O.C. active military aircraft including the Indigenous Defense Fighter, the F-16, the Mirage 2000, and various long and short-range missiles that the fighters carry, such as MICA and the local-made Tien Chien I and II missiles.

The TADTE is open to buyers and professionals today after which the general public can visit free of charge tomorrow and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.