The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has provided a timetable for its long-range missile programs in a report to the Legislative Yuan following the passage of a NT$237 billion (US$8.45 billion) budget in January.
The report follows a request by lawmakers for a timetable on implementing the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan, a five-year program that started earlier this year, a source said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The Hsiung Feng III, a supersonic missile that can attack ships and ground-based targets up to a range of 400km, is to enter mass production next year, which would raise its annual capacity to 70 units from 20 now, the source said, citing the report.
Photo copied by Chen Hsien-yi, Taipei Times
The increase follows the construction of six new facilities, which the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is to complete in late June, the report said.
The Hsiung Sheng cruise missile, with an estimated range of 1,000km to 1,200km — enough to reach China — has been confirmed to be the same system formerly known as the Hsiung Feng IIE missile, the source said.
The combined annual production capacity of Hsiung Sheng and Hsiung Feng II missiles — which share assembly lines — would rise to 131 units from 81 units, the report said.
Basic and extended-range Hsiung Feng missiles are being deployed on Taiwan proper and outlying islands as a defense against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s large warships, it added.
The Hai Chien II surface-to-air missile — which can be launched from the ground or a ship — would see its annual production rise to 150 units from 40 units, the report said.
The annual production capacity of Tien Kung III air defense missiles would also increase to 96 units from 48, while the Wan Chien air-to-ground cruise missiles and the Chien Hsiang loitering munition would reach 50 units and 48 units respectively, it said.
This should result in production of the Hsiung Sheng missile, the Wan Chien missile and the Chien Hsiang loitering munition being completed in 2024 or 2025, ahead of schedule, the report said.
The combat power improvement plan was intended for the acquisition of long-range cruise missiles, upgraded air defense systems and modern warships, government statements said at the time.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS