The air force this morning simulated anti-aircraft strikes with Patriot II and Tien Kung III missiles in Pingtung County in a rare live-fire exercise open to the media.
The exercise was conducted by the Air Defense and Missile Command at the Jiupeng (九鵬) military base in Manjhou Township (滿州).
The first target drone was launched at about 6am. At 6:20am, the target was detected on radar and a Patriot II missile was launched to intercept it.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
A Tien Kung (Sky Bow) III missile was launched by another unit to intercept a second target at 6:55am, while another Patriot missile was launched at 7:28am toward a third drone by a separate unit.
All three successfully hit their targets, which were about 30km away beyond observers’ line of sight, the military said.
The exercise was a test of decentralized command, allowing each unit to complete the exercise according to the established chain of command to better simulate real-life scenarios, 794th Brigade Captain Kao Shu-li (高淑莉) said.
The success of the exercise shows the air force’s training and command and control capabilities during joint operations, he said.
It was the first time since 2012 that the Jiupeng base was opened to the media.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for