Taiwan’s newly procured US weapon systems are to be tested in the 41st annual Han Kuang exercise later this year, the Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday.
The drills would emphasize responses to “gray zone” activities, speed in preparing for combat, command authority delegation and national-level threat assessment, the ministry’s Joint Operations Planning Division Director Major General Tung Chi-hsing (董冀星) told a regular news conference in Taipei.
The exercises would additionally focus on capabilities for mounting in-depth defense, logistics, civil defense integration and utilizing new weapons systems, he said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Taiwan Military News Agency
Last year, the armed forces began fielding M1A2T main battle tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, TOW-2B anti-tank guided missiles, land-based Harpoon anti-ship missiles and different types of uncrewed aerial vehicles, among other novel systems, he said.
The drills would test Taiwanese commanders’ ability to effectively utilize these key asymmetric assets operationally, Tung said.
In February, the military’s senior staff held a map-based wargame to design this year’s Han Kuang exercise, he said.
From tomorrow to April 18, the headquarters of various commands would simulate military operations against Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces in varying situations ranging from “gray zone” skirmishes to high-intensity conflicts, Tung said.
This part of the drills would make use of the Joint Theater Level Simulation Platform, he said, adding that the headquarters involved are expected to fight continuously for the duration.
Field maneuvers would take place from July 9 to 18 in and around Taiwan proper, including the outlying islands, airspace and surrounding seas, he said.
Leaders at all levels are to design field problems and lead troops in combat practice in their area of responsibility, Tung said.
The field exercises would be held in conjunction with large-scale civil defense drills, including simulated defense of built-up areas, he said.
Military personnel are to conduct the drills fully armed and equipped, and live ammunition would be used in parts of the exercise, Tung added.
Separately, a defense official yesterday said that the fifth mobile squadron of the navy’s Hai Feng Shore-Based Anti-ship Missile Group achieved operational readiness last month, five months after its founding in November last year.
Counting the recently formed mobile squadron, the navy’s dedicated land-based anti-ship missile group consists of 12 squadrons, including six static squadrons, five mobile squadrons and one support squadron, counting the recently formed mobile unit, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Starting on Jan. 1 next year, the Hai Feng Shore-Based Anti-ship Missile Group is expected to be reorganized as the Littoral Combat Command, consisting of northern, central, southern and eastern “strike groups,” they said.
The anti-ship missile group is armed with the indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III family of missiles and their extended range variants, in addition to US-made Harpoon missiles currently being fielded, they said.
By the time the group’s constituent squadrons receive their full complement of weapons, they would be expected to achieve a 70 percent kill probability against the PLA’s surface combatants and transports, they said.
The Hsiung Feng II missile has an effective range of 148km, while the Hsiung Feng IIE — the extended range variant — has an estimated effective range of 160km to 200km and possesses electronic warfare countermeasures on a par with the most advanced western systems.
The Hsiung Feng III missile has an estimated effective range of 150km to 200km, and a maximum range of 250km.
The Hsiung III missile’s extended range variant entering into service is said to have a maximum range of 400km, significantly more than other systems in the navy’s arsenal.
The AGM-84L-1 Harpoon Block II missiles Taiwan bought from the US are the most updated version of the venerable weapon system with largely classified capabilities.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS