The military is for the first time to incorporate cyberwarfare and civilian planes in its annual Han Kuang series of exercises later this month at various air bases and maritime areas.
The exercises will include drills centered on military personnel, equipment and aircraft to test joint combat capabilities of the air force, navy and army in case of an attack by China, Rear Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) said.
As part of the exercise, the cyberwarfare drill is to test the military’s abilities to restore hobbled facilities, Mei said during a Ministry of National Defense press conference yesterday.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Live-fire drills will be held in waters off the eastern coast, south of Penghu, as well as in areas in Pingtung County, to test defensive capabilities, he said.
Exercises involving several civilian planes are to transport soldiers from Greater Kaohsiung to Penghu County to test readiness for wartime maneuvers, another military official said.
The Han Kuang exercises this year will last from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19 at designated sites, ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said.
There will be drills to practice emergency takeoffs and landings for fighter jets on the Minsyong section of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1), which passes through Chiayi County, said Major General Li Ting-sheng (李廷盛), director of the air force’s Combat Readiness Training Division.
Aircraft used in the drill this month will include F16-A/Bs, Mirage 2000-5s and Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF), as well as the E-2K airborne early warning aircraft, a CH-47 helicopter, an OH-58D reconnaissance helicopter and two AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters, Li said.
The exercises this year are to simulate an attack from China that destroys Taiwan’s air force bases, leaving the military to rely on the freeway for emergency takeoffs and landings, he said.
It is also to test the military’s ability to conduct refueling and re-supply operations in times of war, Li added.
To conduct the drill, the section of the freeway between the Chiayi and Dalin exits will be closed for 11 hours beginning at midnight on Sept. 16.
Meanwhile, a new weapon, known as the “Wanjian missile” (萬劍彈), is reportedly ready for production after being developed for many years by the ministry.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) yesterday confirmed the news about the weapon, which is designed to destroy enemy runways.
Developed at a cost of about NT$3 billion (US$100 million), the Wanjian cruise missile system will go into production next year, after passing initial combat testing trials recently, Lin said.
The missile contains hundreds of cluster bomblets to maximize damage to runways, while it can also be used against other enemy targets, including harbors, military encampments, radar systems and missile launch installations.
“Our IDF jets have been configured to carry the Wanjian missiles and can reach targets within 300km. This has improved the air-to-land attack capability to greater than that of the F16-A/B jets and expanded the air force’s attack range for coastal military installations in China,” Lin said.
He added that 40 IDF jets were outfitted to carry Wanjian missiles by the end of last year, and eventually all the nation’s 127 IDF jets will be configured for such capability.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS