A locally developed uncrewed aerial vehicle yesterday morning crashed into the ocean off southeastern Taiwan during a military mission.
There were no reports of injuries.
The Rui Yuan (銳鳶, Sharp Hawk) long-range surveillance drone, used by the Naval Maritime Tactical Reconnaissance Group, took off from a training field in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) at 7:27am to perform a scouting mission, the Naval Fleet Command said in a statement.
Navy operators quickly noticed problems with the trajectory and movement of the drone, and were forced to land it in waters off Taimali eight minutes after takeoff to avoid potential casualties on land, it said.
The navy is investigating the cause of the malfunction with the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which developed the drone, the Naval Fleet Command said.
The drone was first spotted by local fishers about 12 nautical miles (22km) offshore, and they reported it to the coast guard, military sources said.
First commissioned in 2012, the Rui Yuans are used mostly in maritime surveillance and disaster relief missions.
Weighing 350kg with an 8.6m wingspan, they have a maximum speed of 180kph, a maximum flying altitude of 4,000m, and can stay in the air for up to 12 hours.
At least nine Rui Yuans have crashed since 2012, according to information compiled by the Central News Agency.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS