China appears to be using a new type of BZK-005 drone that might be capable of disrupting the radio communications in the Taiwanese military and causing the radar system to malfunction, a military source said yesterday.
The military is closely monitoring traces of this upgraded drone after the Japanese Ministry of Defense recently captured images of a BZK-005 drone, which had a large number of antennas under the nose of the aircraft and a pod of unknown purpose attached under the belly of the craft.
Defense experts in other countries had warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has bolstered its electronic warfare capability by installing antennaes and pods on some of the drones, a military source told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times), adding that they could be deployed to disrupt all radio communications within the chain of command in the Taiwanese military and cause the radar system to malfunction.
Photo: Screen grab from Japan’s Ministry of Defense Web site
Drones equipped with electronic warfare capabilities would also make it difficult for the Taiwanese military to accurately launch missile attacks and intercept Chinese missiles and aircraft.
The PLA would attempt to use such interference in the initial stage of a possible invasion in Taiwan and during an attack of on the country, they said.
The US military also warned that the PLA might use a swarm of small drones equipped with microwave reconnaissance jamming or electromagnetic weapons to fly into Taiwanese airspace and conduct various jamming operations, they added.
The new BZK-005 reconnaissance drone was spotted on Friday last week, when it flew to the west Pacific via the airspace between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island and flew back using the same route, based on the information made public by the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
The PLA uses BZK-005 and TB-001 drones to fly to Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, as both have reconnaissance and attack capabilities. The former is a large and multifunctional drone, with a maximum endurance time of up to 40 hours. Its cruising altitude could reach 3,000m to 7,000m.
In other news, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said in an opening ceremony of the Asia Drone AI Innovation and Application Expo in Chiayi County that some drone manufacturers from the US are to come to Taiwan next month to seek business opportunities.
“I have talked with National Development Council Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) about the issues with the drone industry, who said that the National Development Fund should be used to support the industry, as it is important to the country,” Kuo said.
“Although there are not enough drone manufacturers in Taiwan, we are looking to expand the scale of the industry with the US,” he said.
“We also hope that the industry could generate an output value of NT$30 billion [US$925 million] by 2028,” he added.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
RSS