In 1977, a severe drought in northern Taiwan prompted the Air Force to respond to the Shihmen Reservoir Management Office’s request for cloud seeding. In an effort to induce artificial rainfall by lowering cloud temperatures and triggering cloud condensation, the 6th Air Wing deployed C-119 aircraft loaded with 1,000 kg of dry ice and 200 gallons of salt water to airspace suited for such operations.
During the spring of 2002, a prolonged drought struck northern Taiwan. In response, the Executive Yuan ordered the Air Force on March 15 to commence cloud seeding operations over Shihmen Reservoir, Taoyuan, and Baoshan Reservoir, Hsinchu. The Air Force conducted six C-130H sorties and successfully completed the mission. During the early spring of 2013, a severe drought struck northern Taipei once more. On March 24, the Air Force responded to the Water Resources Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ call for assistance. Two C-130H transport aircraft from the 439th Air Wing took off from Songshan Air Base at 12:50 hrs, each carrying 8 tonnes of water. These aircraft were tasked with dispersing misted water over Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli airspace as the summer front passed over northern Taiwan, thereby increasing the prospects of rainfall over reservoirs.
During the winter of 2014, an unexpected drought in Taiwan proper caused several regions to implement water rationing. In response, during the first half of December, the 439th Air Wing conducted a C-130H sortie over the upstream areas of Zengwen and Nanhua Reservoirs for cloud seeding operations. Flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft, the aircraft dispersed water in the clouds to increase rainfall in the mountainous areas, thereby alleviating the drought in both reservoirs.
On March 23, 2015, the 439th Air Wing deployed two C-130H transport aircraft to alleviate the drought in northern Taipei. Both aircraft took off from Pingtung Air Base at 14:00 and 14:30 hrs, flying over the offshore waters of Hsinchu and Miaoli to conduct warm cloud seeding to increase the water levels in the reservoirs.
On May 3, 2018, to ensure the water supply for daily necessities was sufficient, the 6th Air Wing conducted two C-130H sorties, each carrying 8 tonnes of water to the Wushantou, Zengwen, and Nanhua Reservoirs for cloud-seeding operations, thereby alleviating the nation’s water supply shortage.
On April 29, 2021, in response to the worsening drought, the Air Force conducted cloud seeding operations over the central watershed area as the seasonal front drew near. If successful, this operation could increase the likelihood of rainfall by 10-15%. The 10th Airlift Group of the 6th Air Composite Wing conducted 2 sorties comprising several C-130H aircraft. Each aircraft was installed with cloud seeding equipment and carried 8 tonnes of water. After reaching 13,000 ft, cloud-seeding operations were conducted over the airspace of Liyutan Reservoir, Miaoli, and Taichung to address the ongoing drought crisis.