The military’s new Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles have completed initial operational evaluation and limited field testing, with mass production expected to start next year, a defense official said yesterday.
Created by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Strong Bow (強弓) program, the Tien Kung IV system is a new air defense weapon with a maximum altitude of 70km, the source said on condition of anonymity.
This marks a significant improvement over the Tien Kung III and the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement systems, which have maximum altitudes of 45km and 60km respectively, they said.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
The Tien Kung IV’s enhanced capability allows the system to intercept high-flying cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with a higher probability of success, they said.
The quantity of Tien Kung IV systems to be purchased is yet to be decided, although the Tien Kung III system’s mass production would cease early next year, as its NT$27.4 billion (US$908.1 million) budget is expected to be all but exhausted by December, they said.
The Ministry of National Defense aims to develop two additional weapon systems with the Strong Bow program, including an air defense missile with a maximum altitude of 100km and a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 1,000km, they said.
Separately, the armed forces are planning an unprecedented move to increase defense spending to 3 percent of GDP to meet targets set by the US, a source familiar with the matter said.
The ministry has a NT$247.2 billion special budget to buy 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets and a NT$388.3 billion special budget on various domestically manufactured missile systems.
Next year, the ministry plans to allocate NT$116.4 billion to harden military telecommunications hubs and command centers, and improve training facilities as part of the Cabinet’s special project to bolster national resilience, they said.
The ministry also plans to allocate NT$500 billion to buy US arms, with a plan to be unveiled in late August, they said.
The armed forces would invest in other domestic programs, including Albatross uncrewed aerial vehicles, second-generation Kestrel anti-armor rocket launchers and launching more assembly lines for 155mm artillery shells, they said.
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