The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday.
The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said.
Photo from the Kratos Defense Web site
The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer and a data link system, the institute said.
This implies the loitering munition could feature autonomous targeting and swarming capabilities, the defense Web site War Zone said in a report in September.
The Chien Feng IV’s targeting and navigation systems and airframes would be manufactured in Taiwan, while the engines would be furnished by the US, the official said.
The upcoming trials would test the platform’s suitability for Taiwanese and US operational requirements ahead of mass production, they said, adding that sales to other foreign militaries are possible.
Sales to governments other than Taiwan and the US would be handled by Kratos Defense, the official added.
The Chien Feng IV program is meeting project milestones as scheduled, the institute said.
The MQM-178 target drone is primarily used to simulate subsonic sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles with a maximum altitude of 10,670m and a near-transonic top speed during the terminal approach to target, Kratos Defense said.
Combining the aerodynamic performance of the Krato Defense target drones and the institute’s 30kg high-performance warhead would result in a drone capable of highly lethal top attacks against ships, the official said.
The Chien Feng IV is the latest in the institute’s slew of initiatives with foreign partners, including deals with Anduril Industries to develop drone control software on its Lattice platform and acquiring Altius-600M kamikaze drones.
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