Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed.
The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that.
The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
A defense source said yesterday that the number of pods the military is procuring would be identical to the total number of missiles it plans to order, as each pod contains one projectile.
The ministry is expected to publish detailed information concerning Tien Kung IV missile acquisitions either as part of the government’s regular budget or a special program under the Executive Yuan by the middle of this month, they added.
The Tien Kung IV is one of the two products of the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Chiang Kung (強弓, Strong Bow) program to improve the range and performance of Tien Kung III missiles, a source said in May on condition of anonymity.
The other, an unnamed product of the Chiang Kung program, is rumored to be composed of an “A” air defense variant offering comparable performance to the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems, and a “B” variant for long-range strikes against ground targets.
NEW VEHICLES
Separately, the document listed 20 types of equipment intended for use in a new model of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle armed with a 105mm rifled gun and its derivatives.
This unnamed combat vehicle — which reportedly passed an initial operational capability assessment in late 2023 — was developed from Taiwan’s indigenously developed CM-33 Clouded Leopard family of vehicles.
Research, development and testing of the experimental vehicle are anticipated to be completed by June next year, and 500 orders would be placed in batches starting in 2028, the document said.
Three of the 20 equipment types are to be interoperable in vehicles armed with the 105mm gun and dedicated reconnaissance vehicles that share a common chassis undergoing early development, the list said.
The combat vehicle would be armed with a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm coaxial heavy machine gun in a remote weapon station in addition to the main gun in its turret, according to information released by the ministry.
The system’s 105mm rifled gun is to be capable of firing armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds to engage tanks and anti-personnel shells to provide direct fire support for the infantry, the ministry said.
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