More than 1,000 domestically produced missiles are expected to be delivered next year and a production plan would be adjusted according to the nation’s needs, defense sources said on Saturday.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) is manufacturing the missiles as part of its Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan.
The plan has been allocated a special budget of NT$228.9 billion (US$7.4 billion) from last year to 2026, with this year’s budget being the highest at NT$60.9 billion, one of the sources said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / the Ministry of National Defense
Last year’s budget was NT$46.3 billion, while the budget would be NT$47.4 billion next year, NT$45.8 billion in 2025 and NT$28.3 in 2026, the source said.
The allocation is expected to result in the largest delivery of missiles next year to address developments in the Taiwan Strait, they said.
This year’s missile production is estimated to be close to 1,000, the source said.
The overall spending plan includes two phases of mobile coastal-defense cruise missiles, an air-defense system, an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) system, the Wan Chien air-to-ground missile system, the Hsiung Feng II-E (HF-2E) land attack cruise missile system, and two phases of high-performance naval vessels, as well as weapons systems for coast guard vessels, the source said.
The manufacture of the Wan Chien air-to-ground missile system is to be completed next year, while the UAV and the HF-2E missile systems would be ready in 2025, the source said.
Asked whether the government would unveil a second purchase package or raise the annual defense budget to boost weapons manufacturing, a high-ranking official said on condition of anonymity that the government would follow the most suitable plan based on its predictions of how the cross-strait situation would develop.
With the delivery of sea and air missiles, the military would gradually adjust its air-defense, anti-ship and naval units, while retiring old missile systems, the official said.
Countries such as the US, Japan and China are paying attention to the combat power of Taiwan’s missile forces, they said, adding that the military would unveil the outcomes of its improvement plan soon.
In other developments, a source close to the military yesterday said that the army is customizing reconnaissance drones made by the CSIST to give them combat capabilities.
Some of the UAVs have been equipped with a laser targeting system that can lock on to targets and transmit the coordinates to a military base, the source said.
Others would be equipped with weapons systems to give them the capability to retaliate against possible to attacks while on reconnaissance missions, the source said.
The drones being refitted are among the 50 rotor-based models ordered from the CSIST for NT$779.98 million. Fourteen were delivered last year and 36 this year.
The UAV was unveiled at a military demonstration in January. The army at the time said soldiers need only two weeks of training to operate the drones, with refresher courses scheduled every two years.
The drone is 180cm long, 39cm wide and 55.7cm high. It has a top speed of 64kph and can climb to 1,500m.
Weighing 25kg, it can withstand level 6 winds on the Beaufort Wind Scale and can fly for 60 minutes on a single charge.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS