The US has delivered 11 improved Phalanx close-in weapon systems and is to provide two more before the end of the year, while 400 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles are to be delivered before the end of next year, officials said yesterday.
The new Phalanx Block 1B systems are to be fitted in the navy’s warships during scheduled maintenance, which would significantly increase the fleet’s ability to survive enemy fire, a defense official said on condition of anonymity.
The navy’s eight older Phalanx systems are being upgraded in the US through an improvement program, which is scheduled for completion in 2025, they said.
Photo: CNA
The Phalanx systems are radar-directed guns that automatically engage anti-ship missiles and other threats to the ship, they said.
The Block 1B version of the system has a forward-looking infrared sensor, an improved 1.5km effective range and a firing rate of 4,500 rounds per minute, they said.
The new Phalanx systems are being fitted in Keelung-class destroyers and Kang Ding-class and Cheng Kung-class frigates, while the indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvette and Yushan-class amphibious landing dock would also receive the upgraded systems, they said.
Taiwan took receipt of 42 command launch units of the US-made Javelin system, while 200 tube-and-missile assemblies are scheduled to arrive this year and another 200 assemblies next year, a defense official said yesterday.
The transfer of 400 Javelin missiles to Taiwan was originally announced by the administration of then-US president Donald Trump in July 2019, which included an additional 1,700 TOW 2B RF missiles, Institute of National Defense and Security Research director Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said.
The Javelin systems are fire-and-forget guided missiles that attack the topside of main battle tanks where the armor is thinnest, Su said, adding that the missiles are estimated to be able to penetrate 800mm of steel.
The Javelin systems would be lethal to amphibious craft that carry assault troops to beaches, and might prevent landing groups from reaching a shoreline, he said.
The TOW 2B RF missile — a longer-range weapon that requires a gunner to train sights on a target until the projectile strikes — has the advantage of being guided by radio waves rather than a wire, which proved vulnerable to contact with seawater during past exercises, he said.
The selection of these weapons for procurement suggests that the armed forces intend to use massed anti-tank missiles as short-range anti-ship weapons to counter the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, Su said.
A battalion-seized amphibious assault unit requires up to 30 open-topped landing ships and lightly armored amphibious tanks, both of which are prime targets for Javelins and TOWs, he said.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS