Additional deployment of the locally developed Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) “Brave Wind” surface-to-surface supersonic anti-ship missile on LaFayette-class Kang Ding (康定級)and Chi Yang Knox-class(濟陽級) frigates within the year is being considered in the face of China’s increasing buildup of its naval capabilities, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
The HF-3 supersonic surface-to-surface missile had been under research and development by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (中山科學研究院) for nearly two decades, and was made public in a military exercise in 2007.
While the ministry has not released any information on the capabilities of the HF-3 missile, military magazines surmise that the missile may reach speeds of between Mach 2.5 and Mach 3 at a range of between 150km and 200km.
Photo: Taipei Times
The magazines also report that the missile might be equipped with an active radar homing system and would be guided by the navy’s communication and observation systems in a wartime situation, and, as such, the missile could be considered a “fire-and-forget” type of missile.
According to an anonymous source who participated in the Hsiung Feng project, the HF-3 is more precise than either of its predecessors — the Hsiung Feng I and Hsiung Feng II — and is also superior in terms of its ability to penetrate the defensive capabilities of enemy ships.
Commenting on the tight lid the military has kept on the missile’s capabilities and specifications, the source said the difficulty in making supersonic missiles lay not in the principle, but in the missiles’ exterior form and calibrations.
Nations all over the world have classified such information, and Taiwan is no different, the source said.
The source added that the success of the Chungshan Institute in completing the missile was an important milestone for the nation.
The ministry said that the missile has already been deployed on the Cheng Kung-class(成功級) frigate, the navy’s Perry-class frigates, the locally researched and made Ching Chiang class(錦江級), and the Kuang Hua VI-class fast attack missile craft (光華六號).
The ministry is also considering deploying the HF-3 missiles on the two Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates that the ministry intends to purchase from the US next year, ministry officials said.
Meanwhile, the ministry has professed concern that China also appears interested in researching supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, adding that the success of such a venture was extremely important to the military balance in the Taiwan Strait.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS