The nation's Kidd-class destroyers can be sunk by the Chinese air force, the Ministry of National Defense said while officials made public the result of a computerized simulation of the annual Han Kuang military exercise during a press conference yesterday morning.
"According to the simulation, at least one of our Kidd Class destroyers will be sunk by the Chinese air force's SU-30 jet fighters," said Rear Adimral Lee Hao (
The simulation was designed to predict the outcome of a military confrontation between China and Taiwan in a sea battle in the Taiwan Strait.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FENG, TAIPEI TIMES
Two Kidd Class destroyers were involved in the simulated battle.
Lee said that in the simulation, the destroyers made a good contribution, as the two vessels successfully attracted most of the enemy fire. The ships were also able to destroy 19 of the short-range ballistic missiles China had deployed on its southeastern coast.
During an attack from 40 Chinese jet fighters, the destroyer shot down 16 of them but eventually was struck by a rocket fired by an SU-30 and sank.
"The ship helped us frustrate 40 percent of the enemy's invading force before it could reach Taiwan's shores," Lee said. "For us, that is the main purpose for our Kidd Class destroyers."
In the meantime, the same result also showed that the Chinese military will need more than two weeks to prepare for a campaign at sea. As a result, the ministry also announced that the country's current force would be able to defend Taiwan for more than two weeks if a war between Taiwan and China breaks out.
In addition to the computer simulation, the ministry also announced that the annual Han Kuang military exercise will be held sometime between June and August, which will help gauge the accuracy of the simulation.
In 2001, the military asked the US to sell it four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with AEGIS defense systems, which are designed to detect and attack dozens of aircraft and ships simultaneously. However, the US only agreed to sell Taiwan four older Kidd-class destroyers. The first Kidd-class destroyer will arrive in Taiwan by the end of the year.
The four Kidd-class destroyers, which were originally built for the Shah of Iran, employed the most technologically advanced radars and anti-aircraft missile launchers in the world, and are among the most powerful anti-air and all purpose destroyers.
The US navy stopped using all Kidd-class destroyers in 1981, after the Shah's government collapsed amid the Iranian revolution. For this reason, they are often referred to as the "Ayatollah-class."
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS