The navy yesterday held drills in waters off the Zuoying (左營) naval base in Kaohsiung, concluding a three-day exercise involving all three of the military’s branches.
The drill simulated a defensive naval operation against a hostile force attacking from the waters southwest of Taiwan proper, a navy spokesperson told reporters observing the exercise from a warship’s deck.
The navy’s radar and uncrewed aerial vehicles detected the threat before countering with surface warships and land-based anti-ship missile launch vehicles under a joint command.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, the Hsu Chiang (旭江) and the Wan Chiang (萬江), and six Kuang Hua VI-class missile boats scrambled from the port to intercept the hostile ships.
The warships closed in on the imagined enemy, engaged targets with simulated missiles and conducted evasive maneuvers in formation at about 30 knots (55.6kph).
Coastal defense units armed with Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles supported Taiwanese warships with intelligence about the enemy and firepower.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Rescue and salvage ship the Da Wu (大武) — lead ship of its namesake class — was seen making 90° turns, shooting a multi-purpose foam and water cannon, and lowering a diving bell in its first-ever demonstration to journalists.
Navy divers assigned to the Da Wu practiced deep diving and underwater flotation device use, soldering and wire cutting in the newly completed diver training center on the base, the spokesperson said.
The Da Wu is distinguished from other vessels in service for its high mobility and 100,000-tonne tow-weight capability and an integral diving bell, 192nd Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Chen Ming-feng (陳明峰) said.
Diving bells must be painstakingly installed in older vessels before an underwater mission, a process that consumes valuable time, he said.
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