Gun barrels purchased overseas to be mounted on prototypes of indigenous armored vehicles are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan in September next year, military officials said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
A foreign manufacturer in July won a bid to produce the 105mm assault guns to be installed on the latest model of the Clouded Leopard, an eight-wheeled armored vehicle, army Lieutenant General Fang Mao-hung (房茂宏), head of the Ministry of Defense’s Armaments Bureau, told lawmakers.
The military is now applying to the country of origin for permission to allow the gun barrels to be shipped to Taiwan, which is expected to happen in September, he said, not identifying the country.
A military source said that Taiwan is not capable of building the 105mm assault gun and therefore needs to rely on overseas purchases.
However, the barrel manufacturer has agreed to transfer key technology for the gun barrel so that the 105mm assault guns can be produced locally, the source said.
When Taiwan begins to mass produce the gun barrels, it should be able to reduce the recoil by 70 percent, the source said, not explaining why Taiwan has such expectations.
After they are mounted with 105mm assault guns, the indigenous armored vehicles would be deployed to the military’s newly formed combined-arms battalions, the source said on the sidelines of a legislative session at which military representatives briefed lawmakers on the latest version of the Clouded Leopard.
The Armaments Bureau has already commissioned the indigenous CM-32 and CM-33 Clouded Leopard armored vehicles, officially called the Taiwan Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and has begun mass production of the CM-34 models.
A total of 284 CM-34 vehicles are expected to be produced by 2023.
The military is also developing two prototypes of the vehicles equipped with a 105mm assault gun, which are scheduled to be completed by 2023 at a cost of NT$184 million (US$6.38 million).
The CM-32 and CM-33 models are armed with 40mm automatic grenade launchers, while the CM-34 model is armed with the Orbital ATK 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannon, which has an effective firing range of more than 2km.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS