Aerospace researcher Su Yu-pen (蘇玉本) was on Sunday inducted as an honorary member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) at its annual meeting in Washington, a source confirmed.
Su has served at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the research and development arm of the Ministry of National Defense, since 1974, after graduating with a medical and aerospace engineering doctorate from Princeton University.
He was credited as the lead designer on some of the institute’s most significant programs including the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) air defense missiles and the Hsiung Feng (雄風, “Brave Wind”), and Wan Chien (萬劍, “Ten Thousand Swords”) cruise missiles, as well as rocket engines, motors and turbines.
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Su’s most notable recent achievement is the Hsiung Feng III (雄風三型, “Brave Wind III”) supersonic cruise missile, an advanced weapon developed almost entirely with domestic capabilities as foreign governments were reluctant to provide sensitive rocket technology.
In February, the NAE elected 114 US members and 21 international members, including Nvidia Corp cofounder Jensen Huang (黃仁勳).
A Feb. 6 NAE news release said Su was elected for the “development of aerospace propulsion and vehicle technologies for missiles and rockets,” adding that being elected as a member “is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.”
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Huang joined Su at the induction ceremony at the NAE’s annual meeting, at which the Republic of China flag was displayed alongside those of the UK, Japan, South Korea and Spain, from which other international members hailed.
In May, Su told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) that he was unaware of being nominated as an academy member and that his election signaled global recognition for the nation’s defense industry.
Taiwan possesses significant potential in the design of arms despite a lack of manufacturing resources, Su said at the time.
Going forward, the institute should deepen its collaboration with the domestic manufacturing sector, incorporate artificial intelligence in missiles and radar design, and devote resources to electronic warfare countermeasures and missile defense, he said.
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