The Han Kuang military drills entered their seventh day yesterday, with a focus on prolonged defensive operations.
Units simulated a scenario in which the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) established beachheads in an invasion of Taiwan, requiring units to block its advance inland toward Taipei.
In New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里), the 269 Mechanized Infantry Brigade carried out defensive exercises against enemy forces that landed in the Port of Taipei, seeking to hold key strategic positions.
Photo: CNA
President William Lai (賴清德) inspected the unit and observed its drills early yesterday morning before visiting the navy’s Hai Feng Shore-based Anti-ship Missile Group.
The group deployed four launch vehicles, some of which were equipped with what looked to be extended-range Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) missiles, as well as a supporting communication vehicle.
This would be the first time the extended-range variant has been seen in public. It was developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and reportedly has a range of up to 400km.
Photo: CNA
Also on the scene to provide security were armed vehicles from the army’s Guandu Area Command.
The armed forces are set to spend more than NT$44.1 billion (US$1.51 billion) to mass produce HF-3 missiles, both standard and extended-range variants, its plans showed.
As production is on schedule, the military has provided it to the missile group for operational use.
Photo: AFP
In the future, the missiles would also be deployed on navy frigates, as well as key bases in Taiwan’s north, south and east to make use of its long-term capabilities.
Meanwhile, a video released by the Presidential Office showed the president in front of a drone that had not been publicly revealed before. The drone has a fixed-wing configuration with horizontal main wings, an inverted V-shaped tailplane, four sets of rotors for vertical takeoff and landing and a pusher-type propeller mounted at the rear. Based on its configuration, it is believed to be the navy’s newly acquired land-based reconnaissance uncrewed aerial vehicle.
In Taipei, the 202nd Military Police Command practiced delaying a simulated PLA advance into the city by blocking and fortifying the Wanban Bridge (萬板大橋) that connects New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) with Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), closing the bridge from 11pm on Monday to 6am yesterday.
Photo: AFP
The drill began with military police building a four-tier blockade on the bridge within two hours in anticipation of incoming PLA troops.
The temporary 690m-long blockade was made up of roadblocks, civilian buses and barbed wire barricades, as well as newly acquired Hesco bastions — modern, collapsible barriers made of wire mesh and fabric.
Used in Iraq and Afghanistan, the barriers were originally designed for flood control and military fortifications, and have the advantage of accelerating the construction of temporary defenses.
During the drill, military police first used drones to detect the PLA’s deployment remotely before simulating opening fire on Chinese troops.
The second part of the drill simulated PLA troops breaking through three of the four levels of the blockade set up by Taiwanese forces before being fired on by Taiwanese snipers from high points.
The exercise was a continuation of drills from yesterday, during which soldiers practiced using the Taipei MRT system to reinforce positions, reach a target area and engage the enemy.
In Lieyu (Little Kinmen, 烈嶼), which lies to the west of Kinmen County’s main island, a garrison was deployed to Kinmen Bridge (金門大橋) to guard critical infrastructure and counter an enemy invasion.
Reservists continued to participate in the military exercises and training in various locations across the nation.
In Miaoli County, reservists in the 302nd Infantry Brigade continued simulated combat drills and practiced battlefield medical evacuation operations.
Additionally, civilian urban resilience drills started yesterday in central Taiwan, including Taichung, and Miaoli, Nantou and Changhua counties.
They are to continue today in the south, tomorrow in northern Taiwan and in the east on Friday.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
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