The 400 land-launched Harpoon missiles purchased from the US are to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Littoral Combat Command, which would be officially established in 2026, to strengthen its anti-surface combat capabilities, a Ministry of National Defense source said yesterday.
The first base to be equipped with Harpoon missiles would be in Tainan, and is likely to complete construction by August 2027, the source said.
The military opted to purchase Harpoon missiles, as they were a tried-and-tested system, said the source, who commented on the condition of anonymity.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The purchase was for the newest type, which has a slightly greater range than existing Harpoon missiles deployed by the US, they added.
Its range also exceeds the navy’s land-launched Hsiung Feng II’s range of 148km, they said.
The missile package comes with 25 radar trucks compatible with the navy’s surveillance and reconnaissance system, the source said, adding that the network formed by the vehicles would feature the capability of having one node immediately take up the workload of another in case it is attacked or put out of commission.
The source said the military plans to integrate the Harpoon systems with Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng missiles under the forthcoming Littoral Combat Command.
The navy has been building multiple anti-surface missile bases nationwide to increase anti-ship capabilities, the source said.
Bases are to be built in Tainan’s Sinjhong District (新中), the military port of Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營), the eastern coast of Pingtung County, Pingtung’s Pucian Township (埔墘), Taitung County’s Taiping Township (太平) and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾), the source said.
However, the bidding process for bases has seen setbacks due to various reasons, including public opposition, except for the Tainan base, which saw a successful bid of NT$1.61 billion (US$50.35 million) this week and is expected to be completed by August 2027, they said.
Parts of the Hai Feng Shore-Based Anti-ship Missile Group would be moved under the new command to form four different strike groups, armed separately with improved-range Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III missiles, as well as Harpoon missiles to effectively counter the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, they said.
Separately yesterday, the Coast Guard Administration’s Anping-class offshore patrol boat Bali (八里) won acclaim for hitting its intended target with a Hsiung Feng III missile during the military’s annual sea and air precision drill, which concluded yesterday.
The news came as a shock, as the ship was expected to be firing Hsiung Feng II missiles during the exercise, and had altered the height of its launcher to keep up with the facade.
The ability of the coast guard to keep quiet on such matters was encouraging, the Ocean Affairs Council said.
Additional reporting by Yu Tai-lang
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS