The army recently concluded two rounds of drills in Pingtung County testing the precision shooting capabilities of its missiles and rockets, the Military News Agency reported yesterday.
The two rounds of live-fire exercises included the annual “Mighty Eagle” exercises featuring the Aviation and Special Forces Command’s attack helicopter series: the AH-64E Apache and AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters, and the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopter, the report said.
During the daytime portion of the “Mighty Eagle” drill, the helicopters fired cannons at targets in the sea and in the air, the report said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
At night the choppers fired Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles at targets in the sea, it said.
Another drill codenamed “Thunder” featured live-fire exercises involving troops from the army’s 43rd Artillery Command and 58th Artillery Command operating the locally made Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS).
The Thunderbolt-2000 is a wheeled MLRS produced by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
The modular, truck-mounted, multi-barrel MLRS has quick-fire potential against amphibious assault landings.
“Mighty Eagle” and “Thunder” are major annual drills that test troops’ familiarity with precision weapons systems. They were held at the Jiupeng (九鵬) military base in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州) this year.
The agency report did not disclose when the drills were held but an army source said both took place from Tuesday last week to Wednesday.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese