The military yesterday released information about an anti-submarine drill which had been staged as part of the annual Han Kuang series of military exercises but had been classified as confidential until yesterday.
The drill was carried out off the Kaohsiung coast on May 14. To maintain confidentiality, the Military News Agency had been the only news agency to be allowed to travel and cover the drill onboard the Kidd-class destroyer Tsoying (DDG-1803), and its reports on the drill had been embargoed until yesterday.
The drill simulated a scenario in which two Kilo-class submarines of the Chinese Navy launched an attack on the Kaohsiung Harbor and the Taiwanese Navy and Air Force launched a defense against the two Chinese submarines.
The Tsoying was commissioned as the flagship as well as the command center during the drill. It led more than 10 other vessels, including Knox-class and Perry-class frigates, Navy anti-submarine aircraft and Air Force jet fighters.
As in the other scenarios which formed part of this year's Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan's forces won the battle against the Chinese submarines and averted the attack on Kaohsiung Harbor.
The Kidd-class destroyer's coordination of a joint defense from the air and the water formed the highlight of the activity.
"Everybody knows that the Kidd-class destroyer can be used as a command platform, but it is more important to test its ability to coordinate three services during a war," said Rear Admiral Tu Cheng-mo (
Tu said that the military felt confident of its ability to take advantage of the Kidd-class destroyer's remarkable warfare management abilities.
"That way, there will be no problem in defending our country in case of a surprise attack," Tu said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
RSS