The Group is mainly responsible for military search and rescue, coastal patrol, reconnaissance, transportation and replenishment, special flights for the head of state and government officials, and support for new weapons research and development, as well as civilian relief duties such as mountain and maritime disaster, air crash, emergency casualty evacuation, and major disaster rescue missions.
The first helicopter detachment was established in Chiayi in 1950. On December 1, 1952, the unit was reorganized for air rescue operations for the search and rescue of crashed aircraft, and on July 1, 1954, it was expanded as the Air Rescue Squadron to meet military needs. On August 1, 1983, the unit was renamed the Air Rescue Group.
Since its inception, the unit has used C-47, PBY, HU-16 amphibious aircrafts: H-5, H-13, H-19, and HH-1H helicopters; in June 1986, the unit was fully equipped with S-70C helicopters; in May 1998, additional S-70C-6 helicopters were purchased; and additional EC-225s were delivered to the unit on November 25, 2011. On July 10, 2012, the unit became operational and continued to perform various combat, exercise, and training missions.
