Eswatini king thanks Taiwan for helicopter donation during 20th visit

King Mswati III of Eswatini thanked Taiwan for donating military helicopters during a visit to a flight training centre in Tainan with President William Lai. The helicopters, donated in 2020, have been used for medevac flights in the African kingdom.

King Mswati III of Eswatini yesterday thanked Taiwan for its donation of military helicopters to the African kingdom as he toured a flight training centre in Tainan accompanied by President William Lai.

Mswati arrived in Taiwan on Friday last week for his 20th visit to the country since he was crowned king in 1986, primarily to attend the Republic of China National Day celebrations.

Lai and the monarch visited Army Aviation and Special Forces Command’s Flight Training Command, a Tainan-based training centre where army aviators learn to fly. During the visit, Mswati and his wife Inkhosikati Make Zuma were shown military helicopters on display in a hangar. Both operated a military helicopter flight simulator, while the king sat in the cockpit of a Black Hawk helicopter.

In his remarks, Lai said Taiwan donated two retired UH-1H helicopters to Eswatini in 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, the Tainan-based command trained 11 Eswatini pilots and maintenance personnel to fly and maintain the helicopters.

Mswati thanked Taiwan for donating the helicopters and assisting in the training of Eswatini’s pilots. The helicopters, which were formally handed over to the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force air wing, have already played a crucial role, including medevac flights to transport casualties in urgent need of advanced medical care, the king said.

Mswati said that during this visit to Taiwan, he saw continued development and progress of Taiwan’s aviation sector. He said he looked forward to deepening exchanges and sharing expertise and experience between the two countries. The king’s itinerary includes observing a joint ground-air military exercise and a visit to an agricultural research centre. He attended an investment dinner hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Mswati’s Taiwan visit is expected to conclude on 17 Oct.