Doubts about the capability of a tactical radio developed for the military by the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technol-ogy (CSIST) have arisen just as mass production of the radio is about to begin.
More than 10,000 units of the 37A radio -- the first domestically developed tactical radio -- are scheduled to be produced, mainly for use by the army. The new radio is to replace the aging 77 radio, which has been in service for several decades.
The 37A radio boasts frequency hopping capabilities, which can protect against jamming and interception attempts, according to information made public by the institute.
In addition to voice communications, the radio can also transmit data between users, a function absent from most of the military's tactical radios.
But on Wednesday, questions were raised as to whether the radio is as good as the institute claims.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Wan-ju (
Liao claimed that during a test in the middle of last month, the 37A was able to transmit data over a distance of less than 300m, significantly less than the 1,000m it is supposed to be able to cover.
The institute issued a press release to rebut Liao's allegations, claiming the 37A had passed a series of tests and met expectations.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the main problem with the 37A was with the transmission of data.
"The 37A radio has frequency-hopping capabilities only for voice communications, not data transmissions. This means that while transmitting data, the radio is vulnerable to jamming and interception signals," the official said.
Chang Li-teh (張立德), a senior editor with the Defense Technology Monthly magazine, said as far as he knew, there had been problems with the 37A's data transmissions.
"The Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology has been blocking all sorts of information about the 37A radio from coming out," Chang said.
"It is very difficult to judge the capability of the equipment given the limited information available," he said.
Although the 37A radio is a product of the institute, it contains technology transferred from other countries, sources said.
The same is true of most other products that the institute has developed for the military.
With key technology obtained from abroad, the institute's products have been criticized as being similar to those assembled by amateurs.
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