The military's research arm, the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, has developed a mobile launcher for its land-based Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missile batteries.
The Hsiung Feng-II mobile launcher, which was displayed at an exhibition of military equipment at Taipei Country's Wuku industrial park, is expected to become operational by June next year.
The purpose of the exhibition, which began on Wednesday and wrapped up yesterday, was to highlight the military's efforts to privatize the maintenance and production of specific systems -- a market said to be worth NT$27 billion.
Of the weapons on display, the Hsiung Feng-II mobile launcher was the only new system that the CSIST displayed, though a number of new systems are under development at the institute.
A Chung Shan official manning the display said yesterday that the launcher is expected to greatly increase the survivability of the Navy's Hsiung Feng-II missiles under combat conditions.
"The first mobile Hsiung Feng-II missiles are scheduled to be deployed next June. They are to be used on an experimental basis. If the [Navy] is satisfied with this system, they will place more orders," said the official, who asked not to be named.
"With the mobile platform, the Hsiung Feng-II missiles can be fired from almost anywhere. Only 30 minutes are needed to set up a mobile Hsiung Feng-II missile battery and it's ready to launch," the official said.
Taiwan's Navy is the only user of the Chung Shan-developed Hsiung Feng-series anti-ship missiles -- Hsiung Feng-I and Hsiung Feng-II. An undisclosed number have been deployed on ships and at fixed land batteries.
"We learned a lesson from the Gulf War," the official said. "In the war, Iraq succeeded in firing Scud missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia. However, it could not defend the Scud bases from being destroyed by retaliatory fire in part because the missiles were all in fixed positions.
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