Taiwan is poised to roll out a prototype 50-kilowatt (kW) vehicle-mounted laser weapon system by the end of the year, thanks to technical breakthroughs made possible through global assistance, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The project, which last year produced a low-powered prototype, is expected to create a full-powered system mounted on CM-32 Clouded Leopard wheeled armored vehicles for use against missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles, the official said.
The state-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has made great advancements in the project over a relatively short period with technological assistance from “international friends,” they said.
Photo: screen grab from Raytheon’s Web site
A 50kW laser possesses enough raw power output for combat applications, and the institute hopes that the system would be adopted by Taiwanese armed forces following the completion of trials and demonstrations, they said.
Members of the institute involved in the project have published articles in military journals exploring the operational potential of coupling directed-energy weapons with the army’s AN/TWQ-1 Avenger air defense vehicles, the official said.
The articles discuss the possible utilization of a laser system against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Chengdu GJ-1 series of drones, as well as rocket and missile weapons, they said.
Directed-energy weapons are an emerging class of air-defense systems being developed to supplement conventional weapons, which are more expensive to fire and could be overwhelmed by a large number of drones or missiles.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has said that the estimated cost for intercepting Hamas missiles with a laser weapon is about US$3.50 per shot, whereas a Tamir interceptor, utilized in Israel’s Iron Dome system, costs US$40,000 to US$50,000.
Earlier this week, US defense media reported that four Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense prototypes had been dispatched to the Middle East to test “real-world applicability” operating in dusty conditions.
Directed-energy weapons are electromagnetic systems that convert chemical or electrical energy to radiate focused energy on a target to cause physical damage that degrades, neutralizes, defeats or destroys a hostile capability, according to the US Office of Naval Research.
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
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
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
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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