The air force confirmed another missile glitch during a military drill in Pingtung County yesterday, a day after two MIM-23 Hawk missiles veered off course after they were launched at the same annual military exercise to test precision weapons.
The days-long exercise concluded at 11:20am yesterday at the Jioupeng Military Base (九鵬基地), the air force said in a statement.
“The air force will conduct a thorough review, as soon as possible, on all problems identified during the drill,” it said.
The statement came in response to a report by the Chinese-language Apple Daily earlier in the day that an Indigenous Defense Fighter had launched a Tien Chien (Sky Sword) II missile, but the missile failed to ignite and fell directly into the sea.
The reason for the incident is still under investigation, the report said.
The missile fell into the sea off the coast of southeastern Taiwan, a military source said.
Yesterday’s incident came after two MIM-23 Hawk missiles veered off course a day earlier. There were no reported casualties.
The two missiles were fired as part of an annual precision weapons drill conducted jointly by the army, navy and air force.
Due to fuel combustion problems, the missiles veered off course shortly after being launched and exploded within a restricted area, the air force said.
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