A missile boat developed by the navy yesterday passed a live-fire test, as a domestically built Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missile it fired hit its target, the navy said.
The test was held as part of a rehearsal for the second round of the annual Hankuang No. 19 exercises, which will take place on Monday in Ilan.
The first round of Hankuang No. 19 was held in mid-May in Ilan.
Because of budgetary constraints, only one Hsiung Feng-II missile was fired in the test. The target was a retired Yang-class destroyer. In next Monday's exercises, the 180-tonne missile boat will fire one or two more Hsiung Feng-II missiles.
The success of the test means the navy can go ahead with plans to build 29 of the missile boats in a project code-named "Kuanghua No. 6."
The prototype of the Kuanghua No. 6 was launched last September at the navy base in Tsoying.
It has been undergoing tests since the end of last year, including sea trials and weaponry tests.
It took the navy more than three years to develop the new boat, which will replace the aging Seagull-class missile boats built by state-run China Shipbuilding Corp. More than 50 of the Seagull-class boats were built for the navy.
In service for more than two decades, the Seagull is outdated in terms of both its design and technology.
In particular, a lack of air conditioning means the crew has to work in uncomfortably high temperatures.
The "Kuanghua No. 6." is more streamlined, has special paint that makes it harder to detect and carries four Hsiung Feng-II missiles.
After the prototype completes more tests, the navy will begin accepting bids for the contract to build 29 of them. A date for the bidding has not yet been set by the Ministry of National Defense.
China Shipbuilding is widely expected to win the contract, but the navy said no one has been ruled out of the bidding.
In related news, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology crashed into sea three days ago during a test flight, reliable sources said yesterday.
The crashed vehicle was said to be the latest UAV model made by the institute -- the Chunghsiang No. 3.
The institute, however, denied that any of its UAVs had crashed recently.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the military's streamlining program, three military academies and three colleges will be combined into one military university in the coming years.
This will be done to reduce a waste of resources, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
There were no further particulars available as of press time last night.
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