A Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman yesterday confirmed that Taiwan was developing an unmanned surveillance aircraft (UAV), a move that provides further confirmation of a continuing arms race despite closer political and economic ties with China.
Ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST, 中山科學研究院), which falls under the ministry’s Armaments Bureau, had initiated research on drones.
According to defense analysts, research on indigenous reconnaissance UAVs has been going on for at least a decade. The institute unveiled a number of UAVs in August last year — including an operational version of the Chung Shyang (中翔) — during the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition and Conference in Taipei.
A CSIST representative told Defense News at the time that the first Chung Shyang was built in 2007, with five prototypes already operational.
Asked by the Taipei Times whether the air force was seeking to obtain the Chung Shyang, which appears to be the institute’s most advanced prototype, a ministry spokesman said that “new models” were still in the research and development phase, without elaborating.
With a range of 100km and capability to fly eight hours without stopping, the Chung Shyang has day-and-night surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and can serve as a communications relay, Defense News said.
In March, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) reported that the army had announced it would soon deploy the nation’s first UAV under its Aviation and Special Warfare Command, though no date was given.
Yu’s announcement came a day after Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) told the legislature that the ministry had not put a US-built UAV, the Global Hawk, on its procurement list, opting instead to develop its own version.
“The air force has identified the need to acquire unmanned aircraft, but has not included the US-built reconnaissance aircraft system on its arms procurement list,” Kao said.
He also said that Taiwan, with CSIST in the lead, had been developing unmanned vehicles “for quite some time.”
Earlier on Monday, the Chinese-language China Times reported that Japan has come up with a Global Hawk procurement plan after the US military stationed the aircraft in Guam last month.
The paper also quoted unidentified military sources as saying that the air force was conducting an assessment on whether to follow suit and that it would put both F-16C/D fighter aircraft and the Global Hawk on its priority procurement list.
Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief of Defense News, told the Taipei Times it was unlikely the US would ever agree to sell Global Hawks to Taiwan.
HONG KONG SECURITY: The president blasted regulations requiring Taiwanese agents or political organizations to provide information on their Hong Kong-related activities President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday warned of countermeasures should controversial Chinese national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong undermine or harm Taiwanese interests. Article 43 of the legislation empowers the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to serve written notices to Taiwanese political organizations or individual agents to furnish information on their Hong Kong-related activities, including their personal particulars, finances, assets, expenditure and capital in the territory. Failure to comply or providing false or incomplete information can result in a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,903) or imprisonment of six months or two years respectively. Tsai said that Taiwan would keep a close watch on how
JUST QUESTIONS: Expelled reporter Ai Kezhu said that every member of Southeast Television had complied with the law and had not appeared on any talk shows Two Chinese reporters yesterday left Taiwan after the government revoked their accreditation and ordered them to leave amid a probe into allegations that several Chinese media outlets have set up studios and produced political talk shows in Taiwan. The two reporters — Ai Kezhu (艾珂竹) and Lu Qiang (盧薔) — worked for Fujian Province-based Southeast Television and arrived in Taiwan in December last year. The Mainland Affairs Council has launched an investigation after local media reported that Chinese broadcasters — including China Central Television, Southeast Television and FJTV — had set up studios in Taipei and produced political talk shows. Council Deputy Minister
PROBE LAUNCHED: An officer who served as a supervisor in the drill died in an apparent suicide after the accident, which was caused by unexpected waves Two marines who were on Friday injured in a military exercise in the waters off Kaohsiung passed away yesterday, Navy Command said. The marines — surnamed Tsai (蔡), 26, and a sergeant surnamed Chen (陳), 36 — were in a seven-member Marine Corps team that encountered rough seas during a simulated response to enemy forces landing on Taiwan. Their rubber craft overturned in waters off Taoziyuan (桃子園) beach in Zuoying District (左營), injuring four of the marines. They were rushed to hospital, where three of them — Tsai, Chen and a 34-year-old sergeant — were taken to an intensive care unit
‘SIGNAL TO ALLIES’: The US Navy’s exercises are not in response to those carried out by China, the commander of the strike group led by the USS ‘Ronald Reagan’ said Two US aircraft carriers were yesterday conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the US Navy said as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the US Department of Defense and neighboring states. China and the US have accused each other of stoking tension in the waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from COVID-19 to trade to Hong Kong. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea “to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the navy said in a statement. It did not say exactly
RSS