The Republic of China Army Command Headquarters has agreed to purchase 5,000 Kestrel close-range anti-armor missiles worth NT$400 million (US$12.63 million) from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, according to the military’s latest arms purchase bid notice.
The army asked the institute to complete the order within 13 months, a military source said on condition of anonymity.
Kestrel missiles are designed to penetrate armored vehicles and are used in anti-surface warfare, as they feature optical sights and night vision, and can be operated in all weather conditions.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
The missile has a 400m range, or a 150m range when used for breaching brick walls up to 30cm thick.
The missiles have become familiar anti-armor weaponry for army and navy units, the source said, adding that the Ocean Affairs Council has deployed Kestrel missiles on the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) to strengthen garrison defenses and anti-landing capabilities.
The Military Police’s Mechanized Infantry 239th Battalion and the 202nd Command Headquarters’ Quick Reaction Force have also conducted training simulations with Kestrels to counter potential decapitation strikes by the Chinese on Taipei’s Bo Ai Special District (博愛特區), in which most government buildings are concentrated.
The military has also ordered the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu defense commands to shorten the intervals between standard defensive firing drills to familiarize garrison troops with how to operate the weapon systems.
Meanwhile, the Republic of China Navy has used its special budget to order a substantial number of Hsiung Feng II (“Brave Wind,” 雄風) and Hsiung Feng III missiles, and to purchase land-based Harpoon missile systems from the US.
The military said that Taiwan and Japan have been establishing increased anti-surface missile networks to counter possible threats from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy.
The government has also stated that the Hai Feng Squadron, a primary anti-surface missile unit, is to be upgraded to the Anti-Surface Missile Command in July next year.
During an inspection this month of the Huadong Defense Command, the military said that once the institute begins manufacturing, about 200 Brave Wind missiles could be produced annually.
Alongside additional purchases from the US, Taiwan likely would have enough anti-surface missiles to counter threats posed by Chinese forces, the source said.
Separately, a senior Taiwanese security official said that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan or the seizure of an outlying island would be considered an act of war, and Taiwan would “not surrender.”
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and others in her administration have said they want peace, but would defend the country if attacked. Details of what Taiwan would consider an attack warranting a response have previously been left unsaid.
Chinese military action might not be as straightforward as a full assault on Taiwan. It could include a blockade to try to force Taiwan to accept China’s rule, strategists have said.
The Taiwanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China’s drills around Taiwan following last month’s visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had focused on how Taiwan would react.
“A blockade is an act of war; seizing an offshore island is an act of war,” the official said, adding that Taipei believes that Beijing is unlikely to take either of those actions at present.
“Their only purpose to seize [outlying islands] is to force us to negotiate or surrender, but we will not surrender or negotiate,” the person said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
COUNTER DISINFORMATION: More engagement and media literacy are needed to push back against misinformation and claims that the US is an unreliable partner, the AIT director said The US is “confident” that Taiwan does not face an imminent threat of a Chinese invasion, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk told a US public radio show, adding that Washington remains committed to defensively arming the nation. She made the comment during an interview on All Things Considered, broadcast on Friday on US-based National Public Radio. “There is an important distinction between making plans and training troops, and getting ready to do something,” Oudkirk said, on whether she thinks Beijing plans to attack Taiwan in the near future. Chinese officials have told Washington that “their preference is for peaceful reunification,
EXPOSED: Some Taipei wardens reported joining the trips out of peer pressure, while others said they were relieved it was made public so they could refuse, a city councilor said Nearly 30 percent of Taipei borough wardens have joined group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government, leading prosecutors probing potential Chinese interference in January’s elections to question local officials, an investigation showed. Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Chen E-jun (陳怡君) have reported cases of Taipei borough wardens inviting residents to join inexpensive privately organized group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government. The six-day trips reportedly cost NT$10,000 to NT$15,000, the councilors said. An investigation by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) showed that nearly 30 percent
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
RSS