Mon, Nov 04, 2024 page1

• Chinese military activity rises as US election nears

  EARLY ARRIVALS: The first sets of HIMARS purchased from the US arrived ahead of their scheduled delivery, with troops already training on the platforms, a source said

  • By Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and Reuters
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  The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, flying to the south of Taiwan proper on the way to exercises in the Pacific, a second consecutive day it has reported such activities.

  The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the missions, reported just days before tomorrow’s US presidential election.

  The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Its arms sales to Taipei include a US$2 billion missile system announced last month.

  

  A map shows activity by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the 24 hours that ended at 6am yesterday.

  Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

  The MND said that from 9am yesterday, it had detected 37 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and drones.

  Of those, 35 flew to Taiwan’s southwest, south and southeast into the western Pacific to carry out long-range training, the ministry said, adding that it had dispatched its own forces to keep watch.

  On Saturday, the ministry said China had carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” with warships and aircraft near Taiwan.

  In related news, a source yesterday said that the first sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) purchased from the US in 2020 and 2022 arrived in Taiwan last month ahead of schedule.

  The military purchased 29 sets of HIMARS in two procurements, with the first 11 sets originally scheduled to arrive between the end of this year and the beginning of next year, and the remainder in 2026.

  The 58th Artillery Command of the 10th Army Corps stationed in central Taiwan is training with the platforms, the source said.

  Taiwan had originally sought to purchase M109A6 howitzer artillery weapons from the US, but later worked out a deal to purchase HIMARS after the howitzers became unavailable.

  Along with the HIMARS, the procurement included 84 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), 864 precision rockets, two sets of training simulators and other ancillary equipment.

  The HIMARS are to be operated by the army, while the air force’s Air Defense and Missile Command would continue to operate domestically produced Hsiung Feng (“Brave Wind,” 雄風) missile systems. The ATACMS would be deployed based on assessments by the General Staff Headquarters units.

  During an interview Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the state-run Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that Taiwan would use two types of munitions with the HIMARS: a traditional rocket with a range of 50km to 70km and ATACMS missiles with a range of 300km.

  The military could possibly acquire Precision Strike Missiles with a range of nearly 500km, he said.

  The sale of the 300km-range missiles to Taiwan signaled mutual trust between Taipei and Washington, which would facilitate future procurements, he said.
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