Poor communication and surveillance capabilities have awakened interest in the military in blimps equipped with powerful sensors to conduct surveillance over disputed territory, possibly including the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), reports are saying.
According to a recent report in Defense News, interest in acquiring such devices — known as aerostats — to increase the nation’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities increased in the wake of a Sept. 25 incident near the Diaoyutais, during which Japanese Coast Guard vessels engaged in primarily symbolic water cannon exchanges with the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and about 40 Taiwanese fishing vessels.
Citing an unnamed military officer, the report said that the CGA and the navy had struggled to monitor developments during the clashes due largely to limited surveillance capabilities.
The military source said aerostats would be extremely useful if deployed at Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼), located about 55km north of Keelung and 141km east of the Japan-controlled Diaoyutais, as well as on Itu Aba — the largest island in the Spratlys (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) — which is controlled by Taiwan.
However, the source said such deployments would not necessarily constitute further militarization of the islets, because the blimps can also be used for disaster relief, surveillance of civilian maritime vessels, communication and search-and-rescue operations.
Taiwan’s current ISR capabilities in remote areas currently depend on E-2T/K “Hawkeye” early-warning aircraft. Twelve refurbished P-3C “Orion” maritime surveillance aircraft, which Taiwan has purchased from the US, are to augment those capabilities once they enter service starting next year. Taiwan is also developing a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), some of which could have the ability to conduct surveillance at sea, but remains years away from deploying satellites for maritime surveillance.
However, manned aircraft and UAVs have limited loitering time, and the latter have additional payload restrictions due to their size. As near-fixed devices, aerostats or tethered blimps with an ISR component would provide much greater coverage while being more cost-effective and easier to maintain, Defense News said.
According to the article, US-based TCOM, L.P. has recognized Taiwan’s interest in aerostats and may be actively promoting its products — more specifically, aerostats in the 17m, 22m and 28m range, which can operate at altitudes of 300m, 900m and 1,500m respectively.
Ron Davis, in charge of international development at TCOM, will reportedly visit Taiwan early next year to push for a deal, though the company has not provided confirmation.
The industry source told Defense News that the Navy was especially interested in acquiring the company’s 32m Small Aerostat Surveillance System, which comes equipped with an APG-66SR radar and can detect maritime, air and ground targets within an area of 39km2, while staying aloft for up to 14 days.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern