A deal to purchase an upgraded naval vessel communications system worth NT$2.15 billion (US$68.18 million) has been finalized with the US government, a high-ranking Taiwanese military officer said yesterday.
The officer, who declined to be named, said the deal secured the purchase of upgraded Link-16 and Link-11 systems, which would connect the Republic of China (ROC) Navy directly to the command center for the US’ Pacific fleet.
The system will give the ROC Navy the ability to share coordinates and other information with the US Seventh Fleet during combat operations, the officer said, adding that the move ties the two navies closer together.
Image in the public domain provided by Wikimedia Commons
The systems are already in use by NATO members and the US’ other allies in the Pacific, the officer said, adding that information can be shared among all allies during combat operations should the need arise.
The US can direct all of its allies in the field to coordinate operations, the officer said.
The officer said some of the ROC Navy’s ships would use the Link-16 system, which will connect those ships to other vessels, land-based radar systems and other military installations.
Kidd-class destroyers, Cheng Kung-class frigates, Lafayette-class frigates and Knox-class frigates would all use the Link-16 system, the officer said, adding that missile-equipped patrol ships and support vessels would use the Link-11 system, which only connects with other vessels.
The officer said the deal was rushed through with coordination between the American Institute in Taiwan and military representatives stationed in the US, adding that shipment and installation of the systems are expected to be completed by June 2021.
The officer said that while the systems’ main components are to be acquired from the US, communications and photoelectric components would be produced by domestic manufacturers.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that control over information is at the heart of armed conflict.
An effective means to transmit information is fundamental to military strategy, Lo said, adding that the procurement of the Link-16 and Link-11 systems would greatly benefit the nation’s military.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said the process of military cooperation with allies in the region began late last year when Taiwan, Japan and the US communicated military aircraft identifier signal information with each other, adding that Japan included contingencies for a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait among recent training activities.
Outcomes in modern military conflicts are decided within seconds, Wang said, adding that the systems would dramatically improve the military’s reaction time and allow for rapid coordination of movements.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
KONG-REY: A woman was killed in a vehicle hit by a tree, while 205 people were injured as the storm moved across the nation and entered the Taiwan Strait Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into Taiwan yesterday as one of the biggest storms to hit the nation in decades, whipping up 10m waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The typhoon — the first in Taiwan’s history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving north-northwest at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed. The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed. It was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most
RSS