Taiwan must develop ways to counter the rising threat posed by Chinese drones, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research wrote in a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly used drones in the past few years to carry out “gray zone” operations in the airspace around Taiwan, and over the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and South China Sea, the report said.
Taiwan must develop measures to counter the drones, review whether existing weapons and equipment can be used to that end, and develop technologies, equipment and tactics that specifically deal with uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Photo: Reuters
The military should also enhance and expand its use of drones, and develop advanced drone technology to bolster asymmetric combat capabilities, it wrote.
The Chinese UAVs that have been spotted in the region over the past few years include the CH-4 mixed attack and reconnaissance drone; the Harbin BZK-005 high-altitude, long-range drone; the Tengden TB-001 medium-altitude, long-endurance drone; the KVD-001 tactical drone; the BZK-007 reconnaissance drone; and the Wing Loong-10 high-altitude, long-endurance drone.
The latter three first appeared in the past year, the report said.
The Wing Loong-10 first appeared over the Taiwan Strait in April last year, flying northward, it said.
The vehicle, which uses a turbojet engine for propulsion, can be fitted with a variety of weapons systems to pinpoint targets before firing from high altitude, it said.
The BZK-007 first appeared in September last year over waters to the southeast of Taiwan, the report said.
The vehicle is equipped with a satellite antenna to perform long-term reconnaissance and surveillance tasks.
“This drone has the advantage that it is cheap to build, and it can stay in the air for up to 16 hours. It has become part of the regular arsenal of China’s air force,” the report said.
The report said that China was using the incursions into Taiwanese airspace to test its drones’ long-distance flight capabilities, satellite positioning, guidance, control and automatic route planning.
The incursions are also a way for China to test Taiwan’s and Japan’s air-defense response capabilities, it said.
However, China’s military drones are mainly tasked with patrols, surveillance, reconnaissance, target calibration, battlefield assessment, communications support, air-defense suppression and logistical support, it said.
“It is clear that the CCP will use a large number of drones in military and combat missions to support its various stages of combat operations,” the report said.
“This will mean everything from intelligence gathering and communications relay to the implementation of precision strikes and serving as decoys to consume enemy air defenses,” it said.
China might also convert older fighter jets, such as the J-6 and J-7 planes, into UAVs to serve as decoys, it said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old