Taiwan has for the first time deployed cruise missiles capable of striking key military bases along China’s southeastern coast, media reported yesterday.
Mass production of the indigenous Hsiung Feng-IIE (HF-2E), which has a reported range of 650km, has been completed and the missiles have come into service, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported, citing an unnamed military source.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) declined to comment on the report, but the paper said the project, codenamed “Chichun” (“Lance Hawk”), cost about NT$30 billion (US$1.02 billion).
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, a legislative -committee yesterday approved a bill asking the navy to equip a new type of fast attack missile boat being developed under the “Hsun Hai” (“Swift Sea”) program with HF-2E missiles.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) told a Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting that stealth Hsun Hai missile corvettes equipped with HF-2Es could launch retaliatory attacks on Chinese military targets.
He said attacks from the sea provided the advantage of un-predictability, with better range and angles of attack than land-based launchers.
Lin submitted a bill requesting the navy equip the 450 tonne fast attack missile boats with HF-2Es.
The bill was approved by the committee.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋) told the committee that the military agreed to evaluate the proposal.
Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co won a bid to build prototypes of the fast attack missile boat, with plans for completion by the end of 2014. According to design plans, the corvette will also be equipped with HF-3 supersonic anti-ship missiles.
Meanwhile, Lin said a decision by the ministry to house P-3C marine patrol aircraft at Pingtung Airbase would cause delays in delivery.
Taiwan has procured 12 P-3Cs from the US, with the first six to be delivered next year, five in 2014 and the last one in 2015.
However, Lin alleged that construction of the hangars at Pingtung Airbase had been delayed until 2017, which he said could force a delay in the deployment of the P-3Cs — aircraft that would play a crucial role in detecting submarines.
Chao denied there would be any delay, adding that the aircraft would use existing hangars and maintenance systems at Pingtung Airbase.
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
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