Taiwan’s top military research institute last month test-fired a powerful new anti-ship missile that could send a strong signal to China as it launches its first aircraft carrier, a reports said yesterday.
According to the Chinese-language United Daily News, the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology completed a series of tests of the missile, which has been referred to as a variant of the Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missile.
The HF-3, showcased at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in August last year as a “carrier killer,” is a ramjet-powered, 120kg payload supersonic anti-ship missile with an estimated range of between 130km and 150km and a maximum speed of Mach 2, or about twice the speed of sound.
Because of their limited range, HF-3s deployed on ground launchers along the west coast of Taiwan are unable to reach certain targets across the Taiwan Strait or out at sea, and force ships armed with the missile to come dangerously close to their targets, thus exposing them to strikes before they can launch an attack.
The variant, which the Ministry of National Defense, citing protocol on weapons development, refused to discuss, is reported to have a range of 400km and is capable of reaching Mach 3.
Quoting an unnamed defense industry source, the US-based Defense News reported in April that Taiwan was developing a new type of anti-ship cruise missile that, once operational, would be deployed on the east coast and directed across the Strait at the Chinese coast. Such positioning would use mountain range cover against Chinese missiles while still bringing targets navigating the Strait within range. It would also extend the range within which land-based launchers can attack vessels in the Western Pacific.
The reports did not provide a payload for the variant, though a payload greater than 120kg would be necessary for it to constitute a real threat to aircraft carriers.
The news comes about one month after the Chinese military commissioned the Liaoning, its first aircraft carrier, following years of refurbishing work on a Ukraine-built hull formerly known as the Varyag.
The Chinese defense ministry only officially confirmed late last month that naval pilots on board indigenously built J-15 aircraft had conducted “touch-and-go” exercises last month as they learn to operate at sea.
The Liaoning embarked on a 19-day sea exercise on Sunday, during which pilots will reportedly conduct further landings.
In addition to the Liaoning, military analysts believe China is developing two or three aircraft carriers, with a possible entry into service as early as 2020.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Several of the PLA fighter jets that crossed the median line of the Strait came within 68km of Hsinchu, drawing warnings from Taiwan, the ministry said At least 18 Chinese military aircraft yesterday flew into the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on the second day of a US delegation’s visit, the Ministry of National Defense said, adding that the military responded by deploying an air defense missile system to monitor their activities. A delegation led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach on Thursday started a three-day visit to Taiwan. The ministry from Thursday started publicizing the actions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Taiwan’s ADIZ on its Web site and Twitter. According to ministry reports, 18 PLA aircraft
TWO CASES: The five allegedly conspired with conglomerates, threatening the nation’s governance and subverting the rules of ethical conduct, a deputy chief prosecutor said Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged three legislators and one former lawmaker with contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) in a case linked to former Pacific Distribution Investment Co (太平洋流通) chairman Lee Heng-lung’s (李恆隆) battle with the Far Eastern Group (遠東集團) over ownership of the Pacific SOGO Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨) chain, while independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) was indicted in a separate case involving two funeral services companies and a plot of land in a national park. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) and Sufin Siluko (廖國棟), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and former New Power Party legislator
PENGHU INSPECTION: Taiwan cannot let its enemies strut around in its airspace, Tsai said, one day after a Chinese spokesman denied a median line exists in the Taiwan Strait Following China’s assertion on Monday that there is no “median line” in the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to defend the nation’s airspace during a visit to an air force base in Penghu, saying that Taiwan cannot allow others to flex their military muscle in its territorial airspace. Tsai praised the “heroic performance” of the pilots of the Indigenous Defense Fighters who have been intercepting Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force planes in recent days. “I have a lot of confidence in you. As soldiers of the Republic of China [ROC], how could we let enemies strut
Swedish Member of Parliament Hampus Hagman is pushing for changing the name of the nation’s trade office in Taipei to signal improved relations with “Asia’s perhaps foremost democracy.” Hagman on Wednesday last week proposed renaming the Swedish Trade and Invest Council to “Sweden’s Office in Taipei,” following similar changes by other nations. The Swedish Trade and Invest Council, part of Business Sweden, is owned by the Swedish government and Swedish industry. Taiwan and Sweden share important values such as respect for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and freedom of speech, Hagman said in the motion, adding that the two nations
RSS