A mobile air defense system manufactured by Taiwan’s weapons developer is to make its debut on Tuesday during a live-fire exercise in Pingtung County, a source in the nation’s military with knowledge on the matter said.
The drill, slated for Tuesday at the Jiupeng (九鵬) military base in Manjhou Township (滿州) operated by state-owned weapons developer the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, is to test an assortment of missile systems, including a missile known as the “field air defense weapons system.”
The system is a car-mounted variant of the Tien Chien II (TC-2) air-to-air missile, the source said, adding that a total of three missiles of the TC-2 variant would be launched during the drill.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Developed by Chungshan Institute, it is a surface-launched version of the TC-2 model that is controlled by a command post vehicle and consists of a launch platform, a car-mounted array radar system and a missile vehicle, they said.
It was delivered to the Republic of China Army in May last year and replaced the outgoing MIM-72A/M48 Chaparral surface-to-air missiles, the source said.
The TC-2 variant has a 15km range and can be deployed against rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, drones and cruise missiles, the source added.
The Chungshan Institute plans to test the field air defense weapons system once a year in live-fire exercises, they said.
Other missiles in Taiwan’s arsenal to join the drill include AGM-114 Hellfire, Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket system and FIM-92 Stinger missiles, the source said.
The surface-launched TC-2 missiles could beef up mid-range air defense capability and offer more cover for ground troops by countering air raids, Chou Yu-ping (周宇平), a retired air force officer, said.
The surface-launched TC-2 could be used in combination with shorter-range Stinger missiles to cover more bases as part of Taiwan’s low to mid-altitude air defense, while the domestically developed Tien Kung family of air defense missiles and the MIM-104 Patriot missiles could be deployed against high and ultra-high altitude targets, Institute for National Defense and Security Research associate researcher Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) said.
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