Mechanical problems and human error were behind another less-than-stellar air defense missile test on Monday, on the heels of an equally unsatisfactory major missile exercise earlier this year.
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) said mechanical problem and operational shortcomings were responsible for the poor performance of Monday’s missile tests, adding that the military would continue to investigate the causes of the malfunctions.
Missile performance is “unstable,” Kao told reporters in the legislature yesterday.
The missile exercise was held at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s (CSIST) Jiupeng testing base in Pingtung County, the same location as the missile test on Jan. 18, in which six of the 19 missiles fired encountered technical problems.
Following January’s exercise, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who was present at the drill, said he was “not happy” with the results and that he hoped the military would determine the reasons and improve its training.
News of the latest failure was first made public by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌). Soon afterwards, the military confirmed the failure.
One locally made Tien Chien II “Sky Sword” (TC-II) fired from a Ching Kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter, one US-made AIM-7 “Sparrow” fired from an F-16A/B, one French-made MICA fired from a Mirage 2000 and one -surface-to-air “Sparrow” were used in the exercise, the Air Force said.
The TC-II and AIM-7 hit their targets, while the MICA and surface-to-air “Sparrow” missed, it said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓) said the military had failed to improve its performance, adding this was a serious warning to the Air Force and the public could lose confidence in the nation’s air defense capabilities.
The latest failure comes in the wake on an announcement by the National Security Bureau (NSB) that China was continuing to modernize the very ballistic missile capabilities against which the missiles tested on Monday and in January are deployed.
NSB Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) told the legislature last week that China had begun deploying longer-range Dong Feng-16 (DF-16) ballistic missiles and that older short-range ballistic missiles, such as the DF-11 and DF-15, were now equipped with multiple warheads, which would add a substantial burden to Taiwan’s air defense systems.
Although the deployment of the DF-16 has yet to be confirmed by allied intelligence, a number of defense experts have said their existence was not in doubt, given that the DF-11s and DF-16s, developed in the 1980s and fielded in the 1990s, were due for an overhaul.
Meanwhile, Kao said the military would improve the training and equipment of its chemical warfare corps amid efforts to strengthen its ability to cope with nuclear disasters, adding that it might reconsider a plan announced earlier this week to downsize its chemical warfare corps by as much as 30 percent from about 3,000 personnel.
Additional reporting by J. Michael Cole and CNA
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS