No injuries were reported after a multiple rocket launch system malfunctioned during live-fire exercises in Pingtung County, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
The incident happened during drills at Jiupeng Military Base in Manjhou Township (滿州) when a rocket inside a Ray-Ting 2000 (Thunderbolt-2000) multiple rocket launcher failed to launch for unknown reasons, the army said in a statement.
The rocket got stuck in the launch tube and burning propellant damaged the truck carrying the launcher, the army said.
An army task force and experts from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology are investigating the cause of the malfunction, it added.
Local residents have requested an explanation from the military.
“Local residents in nearby townships are fearful of the potential danger and demand assurances that there will be no recurrence” of the incident, Manjhou Township deputy representative Ku Tsung-hsun (古宗勳) said.
The Ray-Ting 2000 is a locally developed multiple rocket artillery system, with a range of 100km. Every year from June to July, weapons technicians conduct live-fire exercises with indigenous systems at Jiupeng Military Base, a major site for weapons testing located near the southernmost tip of Taiwan.
In other news, the air force yesterday said that all wind farms in Taiwan have passed evaluations to ensure they would not affect the operations of military radar systems.
The remarks followed a news report that some ongoing wind farm projects in western Taiwan could affect nearby radar systems, jeopardizing the combat preparedness of the nation’s armed forces.
The Chinese-language United Daily News quoted an unidentified source as saying that wind turbines emit infrasound, a low-frequency noise inaudible to the human ear.
Infrasound has the potential to impact radar beams and interfere with radar systems, including anti-missile and anti-aircraft systems, the source said.
The air force has in the past few years rejected eight wind farm projects from more than 40 applications for this reason, the paper said.
Reached for comment, the air force said the government reviews the establishment of all wind farms beforehand to make sure they would not affect the operations of national defense facilities.
All approved wind farm projects have cleared reviews to make sure they would not interfere with the operations of radars, airports or missile systems, it added.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
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