Taiwan had plans to load miniaturized nuclear weapons into auxiliary fuel tanks of Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jets to attack China, said Chang Hsien-yi (張憲義), who was the deputy director of the First Institute of the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) and who defected to the US in 1988.
Due to the growing military threat from China, Taiwan during the 1980s conducted numerous military projects, including the research and development of mid-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, a nuclear weapons research project and the IDF project, Chang was quoted as saying in a new book that was based on an interview by Academia Sinica associate research fellow Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), who last year went to the US to interview Chang.
Chang, a former colonel, said that the CSIST planned to use the IDF as a bomber because it was developed by Taiwan and its range could be fine-tuned without consulting other nations.
Photo provided by Walkers Cultural Publisher
“We wanted to extend the IDF’s range to 1,000km, as it would also extend the effective range of the nuclear weapon,” Chang was quoted as saying.
The plan was for a pilot — unmarried with no family and not having been told that they would be carrying a nuclear weapon — to fly the aircraft, Chang said.
With a nuclear weapon in the auxiliary fuel tank, the fighter jet would have a range of 800km, Chang said, adding that the pilot would only be told that they would be going on a mission from which they would probably not return.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
However, Chang said that the plan put ongoing US support at risk, adding that it was because of Taiwan’s ambitions that the US decided to “put the cards on the table.”
It was also because of this project that the US in 1988 forced Taiwan to shut down all facilities related to the development of nuclear weapons, as well as shuttering a heavy water reactor at the CSIST, Chang said.
When asked about his relationship with the US and the CIA, Chang said he was contacted by the CIA in 1982 and the agency established a task force on Taiwan and nuclear arms after he passed a polygraph test, adding that he would meet with CIA personnel every two or three months near Shilin (士林) night market in Taipei, mostly discussing what the government was purchasing for its nuclear weapons research, or the contents of CSIST or government meetings.
The CIA arranged his exit from Taiwan in 1988 by having a company registered in the US issue him a work visa and a new passport, providing a cover for him to fly from Kaohsiung to Seattle via Hong Kong, Chang said, adding that his wife transferred flights in Japan and met with him in the US.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday said the decision to develop a nuclear deterrent had spanned military strategy, politics and diplomacy.
The US’ intervention was anticipated and reflective of the US as a hegemonic power, Lo said, but added that the US’ move was inexorably tied to Chang’s defection.
Putting aside the question of a soldier’s loyalty to his nation, and the moral question of developing nuclear weapons, Chang — while having been shielded from the Taiwanese judiciary — will have to answer to history for his actions, Lo said.
Meanwhile, a senior Ministry of National Defense official yesterday said that the nation’s policy regarding nuclear weapons is that “we do not manufacture, own or use nuclear weapons,” adding that since Taiwan does not have nuclear weapons, the possibility of attacking China with nuclear weapons does not exist.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS