The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has developed a polycyclic nitroamine explosive, commonly known as CL-20, which is the most powerful non-nuclear explosive known, a government source said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The institute has significantly improved explosive and rocket propellant research and development in recent years, the source said.
A new factory was established in June 2022 with NT$540 million (US$16.6 million) in equipment installed, the source said.
Photo copied by Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
A central complex that would house 50-gallon (189 liters) and 300-gallon (1,136 liters) explosive mixer machines, as well as a storage device, was constructed in the factory, the institute said.
The explosive is 40 percent more powerful than those currently used and could be deployed for Hsiung Feng II (“Brave Wind” II, HF-II) and HF-III missiles, the source said.
The source did not comment on what other type of domestically manufactured missiles would be compatible with the CL-20 compound.
However, the institute has the intellectual property rights to all development and manufacturing of products using CL-20, and may authorize its use and production outside of the institute in favor of growing the national defense industry, the source added.
The US, the EU, China and Russia have also researched and made the compound, but due to its high-technical barrier and manufacturing costs, it has not entered commercial production, the source said.
Despite difficulties in mass production, CL-20 has seen some minor uses within the US and China, and has also been used in the Russia-Ukraine war, the source said.
The institute carries the heavy responsibility of researching and developing explosive compounds for the national defense sector, which has become even more important following the passage of the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan Purchase Special Regulation (海空戰力生計畫採購特別條例) and the increased production of missiles of all types, the source said.
The research and development of rocket propellants was a significant task, the institute said, adding that it was building a solid foundation for basic production capabilities.
To achieve this, the institute said it has ensured that the compound mixing and propellant research areas are safe, equipped with up-to-date machinery and technology, and are comfortable to work in.
In tandem with domestic companies, the institute has researched and built a 1,136-liter mixer from the ground up, further enhancing the autonomy of Taiwan’s national defense sector.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
RSS