The Ministry of National Defense is ready to move forward with mass production of Tien Kung IV (天弓, Sky Bow) missiles, if lawmakers authorize the funds, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The ministry has secured suppliers and manufacturers to source at least two air defense systems and 128 missiles for an estimated NT$36.6 billion (US$1.16 billion) from the stalled special defense budget, the official said.
The ministry’s wish list — published on Saturday — for items to be procured under the Defense Industry Development Act (國防產業發展條例) showed that the government is poised to order a plethora of equipment related to a “mesopheric anti-tactical ballistic missile system.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The term, referring to a layer of the atmosphere at altitudes from 50km to 85km, indicates interest in the domestically developed Tien Kung IV missiles, which have an interception altitude of 70km, the official said.
The weapon — expected to be part of the proposed T-Dome multi-layered air defense network — is one of the systems developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Chiang Kung (強弓, Strong Bow) project, they said.
The project is developing the Tien Kung V, an air defense system with a hoped-for interception altitude of 100km, they said.
The ministry anticipates the advanced system to be ready for the initial operational capability assessment phase sometime this year, with enough time to spare for small-batch production before December, they said.
Transcom Inc, a major player in the Chiang Kung project, told investors late last year that the company expects the government to place orders next month for Tieng Kung III and IV missiles.
Military demand for the systems would surge next year, the company said, citing projections of the time.
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