The ongoing military action against Libya could provide some good news for Taiwan, defense officials said.
The US Navy’s new EA-18G “Growler,” an electronic warfare aircraft, has been seeing its first combat experience in the military action against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and has reportedly been performing well. Given its capabilities, the aircraft could play a vital role in the defense of Taiwan should the US intervene in any armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
One military Web site reported: “As the United Nations-sanctioned war against Libya moves into its third day, no US, French or British aircraft have been shot down by Libyan air defenses. Part of the credit should go to the Navy’s new jammer.”
Photo: Reuters
US Vice Admiral Bill Gortney told media that the EA-18G had provided electronic warfare support to the coalition’s attack.
Jammers such as the EA-18G are platforms equipped with electronic countermeasures providing an umbrella of protection for ground and air forces by jamming enemy radar, electronic data links and communications systems.
While details remain classified, the “Growler” — which is replacing the Navy’s EA-6B “Prowler” jammer fleet — is believed to have located and disabled the communications systems used by Libyan tank columns and defeated surface-to-air missiles, thus enabling the coalition to launch air strikes against ground forces.
Sources said the Growler would soon have the capability to insert viruses into enemy command networks, causing electronic chaos.
“The Growler’s performance could certainly be good news for Taiwan,” John Pike, head of the Washington-based Global Security think tank, told the Taipei Times. “While China has more advanced equipment than Libya, the US remains about twenty years ahead of Beijing.”
“It’s a cat and mouse game of measures and counter-measures, but with the latest US advances we can probably blind the Chinese radars. And if they can’t see us, they can’t hit us,” he said.
A specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, the Growler has become a Pentagon priority. Two years ago, the Pentagon decided to buy more Growlers rather than continue production of the F-22 stealth fighter.
A US defense expert said the US Navy’s “real plan” for winning any future air war with China was to attack “where they’re most vulnerable” — in the electromagnetic spectrum.
The star of that spectrum, experts said, is the Growler.
Asked about China’s development of a new stealth aircraft and long-range anti-ship missiles earlier this year, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that China’s “anti-access programs” were being dealt with.
In particular, Gates’ aides mentioned China’s efforts to impede US access in any conflict over Taiwan.
Gates said at the time that the US would speed up its development of electronic jammers to improve the ability to fight and survive in an anti-access environment.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
RSS