Four years after the Republic of China (ROC) Marine Corps requisitioned its first order of Kestrel anti-armor rocket launchers, the military police and coast guard separately last month announced plans to buy the weapon next year.
The purchase decisions signal that the military considers the weapon — built by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology — to be viable and that the institute’s efforts to design arms and provide upgrades would receive state funding.
The Kestrel rocket launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-launched anti-armor weapon that fires either a high-explosive anti-tank warhead to engage vehicles with light to medium armor or a high-explosive “squash head” for use against buildings.
The biggest hurdle for domestic arms programs has been difficulty gaining the confidence of the end user: the armed forces.
For operational reasons, the military tends to favor foreign weapons systems with proven combat success, while its acceptance of indigenous designs has been cautious, even skeptical. Domestic weapon systems must often take long detours on the path from development to the field.
The launcher was no exception. Although the marines first used the weapon in 2014, their initial purchase was a small order placed due to urgent operational needs. Only after the marines gained confidence in the weapon did the corps place larger orders.
At a cost of NT$49.79 million (US$1.63 million), the Military Police Command plans to issue 445 launchers, 279 training launchers and eight simulators to units tasked with defending Taipei, the unit’s budget for next year showed.
The Coast Guard Administration plans to issue 84 launchers and 88 training launchers to coast guard garrisons on the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), at a cost of NT$11.12 million, the coast guard’s budget for next year showed.
The biggest potential client for the rocket launcher is the ROC Army, whose hand-held anti-tank weapon is the US-made M72 LAW, an aging weapon.
However, the army, which has agreed to a service-life extension program for its large stock of M72s, has remained tight-lipped concerning any Kestrel purchases, despite reviewing the data and evaluating the weapon.
As a weapon designed to be operated by a single soldier, the Kestrel’s tactical role is similar to that of the M72 — a light, mobile weapon for dismounted infantry soldiers.
The TOW-2A/B anti-tank guided missile launcher — the military’s other standard-issue anti-armor weapon — possesses greater lethality and a longer range, but it is heavier and typically mounted on vehicles or attack helicopters.
Filling the gap between the two weapon systems, the FGM-148 Javelin is a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile launcher meant for a crew of two that is light enough to be carried by soldiers in the field, but more powerful than the Kestrel or the M72.
Translated by staff writer Jonathan Chin
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS