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.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS