TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's military delivered a spectacular display Friday (Aug. 22) as soldiers from the Aviation and Special Forces Command (陸軍航特部) rappelled from a decorated Black Hawk helicopter onto Rakuten Taoyuan Baseball Stadium (樂天桃園棒球場). The dramatic entrance launched a military-themed baseball game between Taiwan's armed forces and the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL, 中華職業棒球大聯盟). The event honored Taiwan's military personnel while capturing widespread public fascination.
Taiwan's special forces commander delivered the ceremonial first pitch using an innovative grenade-style throwing technique that thrilled spectators throughout the stadium. The Black Hawk helicopter's eye-catching design featured Taiwan's national flag, special forces insignia, and distinctive Team Taiwan and Team Army logos that mesmerized the audience. International model building competition world champion Fan Cheng-bin (樊成彬) created the helicopter's artistic elements, incorporating silhouettes of a six-member special operations team and an "eagle eye" nose design for enhanced visual impact.
Fan, who previously designed a Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter featuring a tiger shark mouth design for an army camp event last year, painted two Black Hawk helicopters specifically for this baseball stadium demonstration. The artist emphasized the critical importance of making Taiwan's military training and equipment more accessible to civilian audiences. Fan noted that military openness to creative concepts represents common practice in Western countries, while the event culminated with a Black Hawk displaying Taiwan's national flag in the sky as a massive flag unfurled on the ground, symbolizing military-civilian cooperation. ◼
