Testing has been completed on a long-range air-to-surface missile (ASM) developed by Taiwan, military sources said.
If all goes well, mass production and deployment of the new weapon, known as the Wan Chien (“Ten Thousand Swords”) ASM will begin in 2014, the sources said.
The new missile, developed by the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, will be fitted on the upgraded Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), the sources said. Local military experts said the Wan Chien missile was mainly designed to strike airports and would help upgrade the Republic of China Air Force’s long-range strike capabilities.
The new missile is also known as a standoff missile, a weapon that may be launched at a distance sufficient to allow attacking personnel to evade defensive fire from the target area, military experts said.
Some local media reports said the Taiwan-developed Wan Chien missile would function like the US’ AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. By attacking runways at enemy airports, military experts said, Taiwan would be able to gain the time needed to obtain foreign assistance in the event of war in the Taiwan Strait. According to a Ministry of National Defense budget report submitted this month to the Legislature, the air force has struck a deal with the state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corp to further upgrade the 71 IDF/F-CK-1 jet fighters stationed at Tainan Air Base. The ministry allocated NT$17.06 billion (US$576.35 million) from 2009 through next year for the IDF upgrade. The upgraded IDFs will have advanced air-to-air and air-to-surface radar and sophisticated electronic warfare systems, military sources said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it