The first live-fire launch of the tube-launched, optically tracked, wire command link guided (TOW) 2B missile at the Renshoushan (仁壽山) Range suggests that the military wished to keep the results of the test under wraps.
Military enthusiasts hoping to catch sight of the exercise on Thursday were disappointed, as it was conducted deep in the Renshoushan Range of the Joint Operations Training Base Command in Pingtung County.
The military purchased 1,700 TOW 2B missiles for NT$11.8 billion (US$359.38 million), with shipments of the weapons completed at the end of the last year, it said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The missiles can hit targets several kilometers away and penetrate armored vehicles with a plate thickness of 1,025mm.
The TOW, a dedicated anti-tank missile that which has been used in the Ukraine-Russia war, is considered a better weapon than the next generation light anti-tank weapon or the Javelin anti-armor tank missiles.
While conventional TOW missiles use copper wires for guidance, the new versions use one-way radio links, removing the necessity for the missiles to be wire-guided.
The latest variants use the suffix “RF” designating them as wireless.
The TOW missiles can also be used to strike bunkers and landing boats, further bolstering the military’s ability to repel landing operations and anti-armor capabilities.
A Prime News report said the army test-fired two missiles, both of which were successful, based on the sounds at the range.
The test-fired units were equipped with the Improved Target Acquisition System, it added.
Meanwhile, a 76mm gun on one of the navy’s Cheng Kung-class frigates exploded during a shooting drill yesterday, but no one was injured, Naval Fleet Command said.
“The Chang Chien frigate experienced an explosion of its 76mm fast gun barrel during an anti-aircraft shooting exercise this morning, with no personnel injured,” it said in a statement.
A team has been tasked to investigate the cause of the explosion, it added.
The “76mm fast gun” that exploded is the 76mm OTO Melara dual-purpose turreted deck gun, designed by the Italian defense company OTO Melara.
It is used by the militaries of more than 50 countries, according to the military Web sites Military Factory and US Naval Institute.
The Chang Chien is one of 10 Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigates in the navy, which are primarily used for patrol, combat and training missions.
They were all built in Taiwan based on the improved design of the US Navy’s Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, equipped not only with a 76mm fast gun, but also with air-defense and anti-warship missiles.
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