Combat units of the eighth day of the annual Han Kuang exercises today continued to simulate urban combat and defense drills.
At Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), which is a joint civil-military facility, units conduct anti-airborne drills overnight in a simulation of repelling an enemy assault.
The exercise reportedly tested how personnel respond when informed of an enemy attack under unexpected conditions, sources said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
Units at the airport were not informed of the drill prior to its start to test their response capabilities, a source said, adding that the drill was crucial to the central government’s security.
The Third Theater Command, responsible for defending northern Taiwan, simulated a heliborne assault in which troops were airdropped into the airport, the Ministry of National Defense's Military News Agency said.
Air Force, Military Police and Marine Corps personnel engaged the simulated enemy using air defense weapons and other munitions, while additional weapons systems stationed near Songshan Air Base were also deployed, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
A smokescreen was deployed around the landing site to limit enemy visibility, as Marine Corps personnel simulated firing shoulder-launched FIM-92 Stinger missiles at the airborne threat, the agency said.
Defense forces then deployed various armored vehicles, tactical vehicles and artillery, gradually repelling the simulated enemy with firepower, the agency said.
In February, the Marine Corps deployed personnel of the 66th Marine Brigade to the airport to bolster its defenses, with a source close to the matter saying they were there to defend against “decapitation strikes.”
As this year’s exercise has now entered its final stages, some units have begun to practice how to manage equipment failures and undertake field repairs to restore damaged vehicles to combat strength.
The 234 Mechanized Infantry Brigade also conducted a defensive drill in central Taiwan at a rest stop near National Freeway 3, where it repelled an attack by simulated enemy troops.
Civilian air raid defense drills continued today in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County from 1:30pm to 2pm.
Due to damage from Typhoon Danas last week, Tainan did not participate in the exercise to not impede disaster recovery efforts.
The Han Kuang drills are scheduled to conclude on Friday.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS