The ROCAF has its origins that go way back to the last few years of the Qing Dynasty nurtured under the patriotic thought of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of the Republic of China. Dr. Sun held that aviation was vital for saving the country at the time when he was the leader of the Chinese Revolution and was just a few years before the invention of aircrafts. In 1912, Dr. Sun rallied for the support of the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia for funding the buildup of the air force. He suggested that aircraft would be the best military hardware for the modern times and encouraged people to learn flying. In addition, he also sent compatriots abroad to learn aviation technology. Dr. Sun founded the Aviation Academy in Guangzhou in 1924 and called on the young people of China to learn flying. This was the very beginning of air force education in China.
In 1929, the late President Chiang Kai-Shek expanded the Air Force and initiated the aviation class in Nanjing. This was the cornerstone of the modern ROCAF. In 1931, the late President Chiang Kai-Shek founded the Central Aviation Academy in Hangzhou and acted as the principal of the academy. He developed the training rules and code of conduct of the air force personnel and urged all servicemen to duly observe the rules and the code of conduct. Since then, the ROCAF has firmly developed its revolutionary spirit that enabled the force to win regardless of its inferiority in number and equipment.
For decades, the ROCAF continued to grow in adversity and was dedicated to the survival of the people and the country by following the footprints of the martyrs. The legends of the ROCAF were so inspiring and encouraging. Examples are the air battles of Jianqiao and Nanjing in August 1937, Wuhan in 1938 during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion. The ROCAF airmen showed their gallantry and scared the invading forces.
In the “August 23 Battle of Taiwan Straits” in 1958, the ROCAF demonstrated the skills and determination to defend the homeland and yielded the score of 31:1. This battle unfolded a new page of the history of the force and has stunned the whole world, and contributed to decades of tranquility of the Taiwan Straits. The fortification of Kinmen and Matsu is vital to the political stability and social prosperity of Taiwan, which helped to nurture the then Taiwan Economic Miracle.
The ROCAF spares no effort in upgrading its facilities and equipment, including the self-development of the AT-3 trainers and IDF. In addition, the ROCAF also diversifies its military procurement with the introduction of the M2000-5 fighters from France, F-16 fighters and E-2T early warning aircrafts from the USA. The ROCAF is well-equipped and well-trained and is capable of defending the air space of the Taiwan Straits. With its glorious heritage of gallantry in battle fields and firm belief in sovereignty, the ROCAF is a strong fighting force in safeguarding the country.