Poor communication and surveillance capabilities have awakened interest in the military in blimps equipped with powerful sensors to conduct surveillance over disputed territory, possibly including the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), reports are saying.
According to a recent report in Defense News, interest in acquiring such devices — known as aerostats — to increase the nation’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities increased in the wake of a Sept. 25 incident near the Diaoyutais, during which Japanese Coast Guard vessels engaged in primarily symbolic water cannon exchanges with the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and about 40 Taiwanese fishing vessels.
Citing an unnamed military officer, the report said that the CGA and the navy had struggled to monitor developments during the clashes due largely to limited surveillance capabilities.
The military source said aerostats would be extremely useful if deployed at Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼), located about 55km north of Keelung and 141km east of the Japan-controlled Diaoyutais, as well as on Itu Aba — the largest island in the Spratlys (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) — which is controlled by Taiwan.
However, the source said such deployments would not necessarily constitute further militarization of the islets, because the blimps can also be used for disaster relief, surveillance of civilian maritime vessels, communication and search-and-rescue operations.
Taiwan’s current ISR capabilities in remote areas currently depend on E-2T/K “Hawkeye” early-warning aircraft. Twelve refurbished P-3C “Orion” maritime surveillance aircraft, which Taiwan has purchased from the US, are to augment those capabilities once they enter service starting next year. Taiwan is also developing a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), some of which could have the ability to conduct surveillance at sea, but remains years away from deploying satellites for maritime surveillance.
However, manned aircraft and UAVs have limited loitering time, and the latter have additional payload restrictions due to their size. As near-fixed devices, aerostats or tethered blimps with an ISR component would provide much greater coverage while being more cost-effective and easier to maintain, Defense News said.
According to the article, US-based TCOM, L.P. has recognized Taiwan’s interest in aerostats and may be actively promoting its products — more specifically, aerostats in the 17m, 22m and 28m range, which can operate at altitudes of 300m, 900m and 1,500m respectively.
Ron Davis, in charge of international development at TCOM, will reportedly visit Taiwan early next year to push for a deal, though the company has not provided confirmation.
The industry source told Defense News that the Navy was especially interested in acquiring the company’s 32m Small Aerostat Surveillance System, which comes equipped with an APG-66SR radar and can detect maritime, air and ground targets within an area of 39km2, while staying aloft for up to 14 days.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
RSS