The Executive Yuan has approved a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) plan to buy less-lethal weapons to avoid unnecessary risks to life while countering China’s “gray zone” actions, a senior official said yesterday.
The plan, which is to be conducted on a trial basis from next year to 2027 with an NT$86.24 million (US$2.72 million) budget, was approved earlier this month, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The CGA would procure 70mm rockets with “shock warheads,” 40mm flashbang grenades, stand-alone grenade launchers with single shot capacity and less-lethal handguns, they said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
Shock warheads would be better suited to maritime law enforcement missions than highly explosive, anti-armor loadings used in Chen Hai rocket systems on the coast guard’s Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, they said.
A defense official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said that shock rockets likely referred to a variant of the 70mm rockets developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology with a high-decibel sound to deter targets.
The institute would produce the munition based on the quantity and time specifications of the Ocean Affairs Council, they said.
Chen Hai rocket launchers are the main armament of Tuo-chiang class corvettes, with six systems equipped on each ship.
Separately, Taiwan on Friday received the first batch of land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems from the US, a military source said.
The source did not mention what equipment or system was included in the shipment, but said that the delivery was made via the Port of Kaohsiung.
The batch of arms is part of 32 vehicle launcher systems and 128 missiles that are to be delivered before 2026. They were purchased as part of a NT$71 billion deal of 100 systems, 400 missiles, four exercise missiles, 411 containers and 25 radar trucks, delivery of which is planned to be completed by 2028.
Installing and activating these systems would cost another NT$15.6 billion.
The RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles earmarked for Taiwan are the most modern version of the Harpoon system, which the US is phasing out in favor of the Naval Strike Missile, the source said.
The Harpoon is a battle-tested system that has performed well in decades of operations, and its performance should meet the requirements for defending the seas around Taiwan, they said.
The RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles designated for Taiwan are more advanced than the version used by the US Navy and have a greater effective range than the Taiwanese navy’s Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles, they said.
The radar trucks offered in the package would provide a mobile and survivable backup to fixed installations to boost Taiwan’s military command and control, they said.
The armed forces’ plan to establish a littoral combatant command in 2026 to control four strike groups and six land-based anti-ship missile bases are in progress, the Ministry of National Defense said.
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