This thread might be better for combining and streamlining all Taiwan military-related topics into one single thread (think of this as a spin-off of the "People's Liberation Army, Post Pictures and Discuss" thread.)Many topics frequently overlap, which means that we beat a dead horse over and over again, discussing the exact same thing ad nauseam. So this thread will hopefully save us dozens of smaller threads in the future.

Pentagon Could Make $2.2 Billion Arms Sales to Taiwan

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, WASHINGTON
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070912/tap-...ry-beb1011.html

Posted 09/12/07 17:



The Pentagon announced possible military sales to Taiwan worth more than 2.2 billion dollars Sept. 12, including a dozen P-3C Orion anti-submarine patrol aircraft and SM-2 anti-aircraft missiles.

The Defense Security and Cooperation Agency said the sales would help maintain “political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.”

The Pentagon agency said Taiwan had requested 12 P-3C aircraft with engines and other equipment and three non-operational aircraft that would be used for spares. They would cost 1.96 billion dollars if all options were exercised, it said. It said Taiwan’s current patrol aircraft are reaching the end of their operational life and need to be replaced.

The P-3C Orions, which would come from excess U.S. stock, are capable of conducting maritime patrol and reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare.

The agency also notified Congress of a possible sale of 144 SM-2 Block IIIA Standard missiles valued at as high 272 million dollars. Taiwan, which already has SM-2 missiles, intended to use them on its destroyers to defend its navy against air and cruise missile threats, it said.

The sale would serve U.S. interests “by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and enhance its defensive ability to counter air threats,” the agency said.

The missiles are built by Raytheon Missile Systems Corporation on Tuscon, Arizona

Taiwan holds unprecedented naval drill

Thursday September 13, 3:53 PM

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070913/kyodo/d8rkd1dg0.html



(Kyodo) _ The Taiwanese military, in unusually open yet bold naval exercises Wednesday, invited foreign and domestic media for the first time to observe from a Kidd-class destroyer drills aimed at countering China's navy in the Taiwan Strait.

Its flight deck thronged with reporters, the destroyer Keelung -- accompanied by three frigates, a submarine, and other vessels and aircraft -- cruised 54 kilometers west of Taiwan toward China to stage a live-fire drill and antisubmarine maneuvers.

"The media had never boarded our Kidd-class destroyers before today," said military spokesman Lt.-Col. Ben Wang. "This is to let the public know that the destroyers are capable of fighting."

Taiwan purchased four Kidd-class destroyers from the United States as part of an arms deal that Washington had offered to the island in 2001.

Two of the destroyers were delivered to Taipei in 2005 and two last year amid rival China's military rise.

Though manufactured in the mid-1970s, the 172-meter destroyers are now the centerpiece of Taiwan's navy, boasting more power and sophisticated weapons systems than those of China's naval warships.

"We can't compete with China in terms of quantity," said Rear Adm. Liu Chih-chien while speaking to the press on board the destroyer, referring to China's growing fleet of indigenous and Russian-made naval vessels.

"But we can compete in terms of quality," Liu said. "We're confident that we're stronger than China."

That strength was on full display as the destroyer's 5-inch guns fired bone-rattling shots across the ocean to demonstrate their power and precision.

In an even stronger message to China, whose submarine fleet is expanding rapidly, the destroyer also staged an antisubmarine warfare drill by cooperating with a Seahawk S-70C helicopter to locate and force to the surface a diesel-electric submarine.

A "Sea Dragon" Taiwanese sub surfaced portside as part of the drill after the helicopter lowered a sonar device into the water to locate it.

"Not even Japan's navy has been so open" in letting the media board a warship as important as the Kidd-class while on maneuvers, said Andrei Chang, a military expert and founder of the Kanwa Defense Review, a Hong Kong-based publication on military-related developments in the region.

"From the way they operate the destroyer to its weapons, Taiwan, it seems, has molded its navy in the image of NATO," Chang added.

Military officials Wednesday denied the timing of the exercises were related to stalled arms procurement deals for Taiwan in Washington, or the island's push to hold a referendum next year on whether it should join the United Nations under the name "Taiwan" -- a move panned by both China and the United States as a "provocative" assertion of statehood.

"These are just regular exercises," Wang said.

China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, has threatened to attack the self-ruled island if it moves too far toward formal independence.

Eager to curry favor with Beijing for wide-ranging economic and diplomatic reasons, Washington seeks to rein in Taiwan's independence movement, and is rumored to be stalling on Taiwan's request to buy defensive missiles, antisubmarine aircraft and F-16s as punishment for the island's push to hold the referendum.

But with China scrambling to beef up its submarine and warship fleets, time for the democratic island of 23 million to upgrade its navy to counter Beijing's growing threat on the high seas is running short.

"We need (that hardware) to defend against submarines. We need it to defend our nation," Liu said aboard the destroyer as it steamed toward China.

Taiwan always buying and buying like India. When will it outgrow that and becoming an exporter?

You mean exporting military weapons, or something else?

This thread relates to military right? shouldn't follow the example of India when they take pride in acquiring expensive foreign hardwares.

Taiwan doesn't have the capability to build some types of weapons.

Furthermore, it is also often cheaper to import from abroad.

But there is indeed a growing trend in Taiwan, to build more and more weapons indigeneously at home.

Awesome photos, Eastern Knight.

Are most of these photos from the same source?

Thanks, Their from various sources most are from one or two military forums.

This is the Lei Ting 2000 MLRS rocket system right?

very nice pictures of Taiwan military weapons indeed.
I noticed that there are some white guys in the photo. They are americans?!! That is even better. It goes to show that Taiwan does have powerful military allies like the US.
I especially like the 50 calibur sniper rifle. That barrett sniper rifle is the exactly item I need to wipe out all PLA invaders.

WTF, where in Taiwan is one suppose to learn how to ski?

On Yu Shan and other mountains, there can be quite a bit of snow.

China also buys a lot and also steals unlike Taiwan and India.

Thanks for the nice pictures, BTW who made this rifle? Does it has a gas piston system or direct impingement gas system like the M16/AR15 rifles? Looks like it is using M16/AR15 magazines too.

More photos of the Taiwanese special forces:

赴美接受狙擊訓練　余奎麟、倪一峰贏得榮耀



發稿日期：2007/09/13

http://mna.gpwb.gov.tw/MNANew/Photos/ShowP...h/1/35493-0.jpg

（軍聞社記者孫建屏高雄十二日電）為精進國軍反恐及狙擊戰力，首批赴美接受「狙擊手初級班」訓練的人員，海軍陸戰隊余奎麟少校、陸軍航特部倪一峰中尉，在三分之一的高淘汰率中，順利通過種種嚴格的學、術科考驗，兩人不僅首開先例，取得合格「狙擊手」資格，並為國軍培育「狙擊手」師資種能奠定基石，也使國軍優質人員素質，在友邦和國際間再次贏得榮耀和掌聲。
余奎麟和倪一峰是在今年三月中旬，前往美國海軍陸戰隊匡蒂克基地斥候狙擊手教官學校（Scout Sniper Instructor School），接為二個多月的美軍「陸戰隊狙擊手初級班」（USMC Scout Sniper Basic Course）訓練，主要課程內容包括狙擊槍瞄準與板機控制要領、冷膛射擊、狙擊槍射擊等射擊技巧，以及偽裝、隱伏、觀測等斥侯狙擊手基本技巧，狙擊戰術與計畫作為、地圖判讀、狙擊手反制作為和火力支援等。
由於狙擊手在戰場負有重要地位，甚至攸關戰鬥行動的決定性因素，為使狙擊手不因所學不足而在戰場送命，因此，美軍狙擊手初級班以嚴格考核著稱，每期平均淘汰率為百分之三十，曾經創下一期只有兩人結訓的紀錄，而余、倪二人當期入學共三十二位學員，最後也才只有二十二人結結訓，實屬難得。
兩人受訓期間，面臨種種難題，從剛報到時因為槍枝、偽裝衣、背包等裝備因素，差一點無法繼續受訓，加上余、倪兩人是同期學員唯二的兩名軍官，在幾乎都是士官、士兵的美軍學員中，相當特異，幸好他們都曾有在美受訓或就讀的經驗，很快就將各種裝備的問題解決，並以苦讀和平日所札下的精實訓練成果，將艱澀的教材融會貫通，到最後更成為同組學員依賴與敬重的對象，帶領學員通過六天五夜的結訓測驗，成功贏得友誼，也為國軍爭取榮耀。
余奎麟受訓時，擔任陸戰隊九十九旅支援連連長，該連已編制有一個狙擊排，而倪一峰則為航特部八六二群狙擊連排長，平時都負有訓練官兵狙擊任務和成敗之責，兩人表示，此次受訓使他們對狙擊手的養成、觀念、運用和部隊編制等，都有重要而深刻認識，未來將全力貢獻所學，精進部隊狙擊戰力，並進一步堅實國軍反恐的能量。

Let's do some target practice.

OK all these pics are awesome except for one of them which I don't even want to take another look at, much less repost it myself.

I especially like this one:



I have a second uncle who also went through U.S.M.C. Scout Sniper school and is now retired. That's where I hope to go through if I decide to complete my years here.

Yup, Taiwan's own MLRS




It was joint-training in the states I belive in VA


~~~~

BZhang, what picture were you talking about?

I really don't feel like looking at it again; but it's the picture where the one guy, wearing only green shorts and some white boots, was in the worst possible posture to have his picture taken.

Some curious random photos:

ROCAF badges, insignia, and emblems:


Modified TK-2 ballistic missile range:


Taiwanese homemade rifles since 1960:


Taiwanese navy bases:


HF-2E cruise missile:


ROCAF air bases:

09/17/07 DEFENSE NEWS

Taiwan Develops Indigenous Answer to China Missile Threat

By WENDELL MINNICK

TAIPEI — Defense analysts here and in Washington say any Taiwanese military campaign against China depends on defeating the arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles — up to 1,000 Dong Feng 11 and DF-15s — pointed at the island.
“By knocking out critical nodes,” one U.S. defense analyst in Taiwan said, “Taiwan could effectively neutralize its ballistic missile capability.”
While Taiwan’s 150 F-16 fighter jets can penetrate Chinese airspace, Taiwan military officials expect air defense systems would shoot down 80 percent of those aircraft. Taiwanese fighter pilots have long joked that the missions were “one-way tickets.”
So Taipei is looking for standoff weapons — indigenous ones. In 2005, Washington declined to sell Joint Direct Attack Munitions and AGM-88C High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMs) to Taiwan.
Variety of Weapons
Taiwan’s military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) has produced an array of missiles and weapons of potential use, including the Hsiung Feng 2E (Brave Wind) land attack cruise missile, Hsiung Feng 3 anti-ship missile, the HARM-based Tien Chien (Sky Sword) 2A missile and the Wan Chien (Ten Thousand Swords) smart bomb, which is based on the AGM-154 Joint Stand-off Weapon.
Taiwan is reportedly developing a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) based on the Tien Kung (Sky Bow) air defense missile, but research and development is said to be slow.
Only three or four prototype HF-2Es have been produced, but their reported range and payload make them among the most controversial and important CSIST missiles. With a reported range of 1,000 kilometers and armed with a 400-kilogram warhead, the missile can reach as far north as Shanghai.
Sources in Taipei’s military establishment say the missiles would be used to strike China’s DF-11 and DF-15 SRBMs.
Ministry of National Defense officials have said the U.S. State Department has pressured Taiwan to kill the program to pacify Beijing.
The local press has reported the missile being tested at the Jiupeng Missile Test Range in southeast Taiwan over the past several years, with the latest test reported in February.
There also are plans for a ship- and air-launched version of the missile.
Naval Targets
CSIST is also developing a Mach 2 HF-3 with a reported range of 150 to 200 kilometers, enough to strike the east coast of China across the Taiwan Strait, which varies in width from 130 to 220 kilometers.
To enter production in a year or two, land-based and ship-based HF-3s would target the Chinese naval bases at Sandu, Shantou, Xiamen and Xiazhen, Taiwan sources said. The missile is expected to outfit the island nation’s La Fayette-class and Perry-class frigates, and perhaps the new stealthy 170-ton Kuang Hua-6 missile patrol boat.
The HF-3 is the latest in a series of CSIST anti-ship missiles. The first two, HF-1 and HF-2, are deployed in all three services. The HF-1 has a range of 40 kilometers at 0.7 Mach and the HF-2 (MGB-2B) has a range of 150 kilometers at Mach 0.85. The HF-1 and HF-2 are outfitted on Taiwan warships, and an air-launched version is being developed for the Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF).
The IDF is a product of the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) and is considered a light fighter with below-average capabilities. However, AIDC unveiled two upgraded IDF-2 Goshawk prototypes at the CCK air base in Taichung in March. The IDF-2s have advanced avionics, improved range and more hard points for weapons. The Air Force is considering replacing its aging F-5 Tigers with 60 IDF-2s.
CSIST is developing the Tien Chien 2A anti-radiation missile and the Wan Chien smart bomb for the IDF. The TC-2A is based on the TC-2 air-to-air missile outfitted on the IDF. The Wan Chien is believed to have a range of 70 kilometers and will be able to strike within 30 feet of the target. •

US take final step towards Taiwan Lockheed P-3C sale



17/09/07

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/...-p-3c-sale.html

Taiwan's long-planned purchase of 12 refurbished Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion anti-submarine warfare aircraft has been notified to US Congress. Deliveries would begin in 2011 under the proposed $1.96 billion deal.

The ex-US Navy P-3s were first offered to Taiwan in 2001, to replace its Grumman S-2T Trackers, but political infighting in Taipei blocked approval of the special budget until the legislative logjam was finally broken in June.

Taiwan has already identified 12 airframes in desert storage, plus three TP-3As for airframe spares, and Lockheed expects to refurbish the Orions at its Greenville, South Carolina site, fitting new wings to restore the full 15,000h fatigue life.

The proposed deal includes Rolls-Royce T56 engines, avionics and sensor upgrades, tactical common datalink and Link 16 terminals, a mobile operations command centre, network integration and training devices.

excellent, excellent , excellent.
I am so glad Taiwan is finally getting more weapons needed for self defence.
any invaders from china will be shot and kill without mercy, without hestation , without a second thought.

Taiwan Orders Engines for Stealthy Missile Patrol Boat

By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI

The Taiwan navy has placed a four-year, $149 million order for 90 diesel engines from MTU Asia, a subsidiary of Tognum. Three of the 16-cylinder Series 4000 engines will power each stealthy 170-ton Kuang Hua-6 (KH-6) Guided-Missile Patrol Craft.

The KH-6 was designed by the navy’s Ship Development Center in Tsoying Naval Base in Kaohsung; a prototype was introduced in 2003 after three years of development.

The boats have sophisticated surveillance and fire control systems, radars and data links. With a top speed of 30 kts and a range of 800 nautical miles, the boat is 34.2 meters long, 7.6 meters wide, four meters high and has one 20mm gun. Its main deck is canted at 12 degrees to reduce the radar signature; special paint reduces the infrared signature.

The KH-6 will be armed with four Hsiung Feng 2 (Brave Wind) anti-ship missiles. During the annual Hankuang 19 exercise in 2003, the KH-6 prototype test-fired one HF-2 missile that destroyed a retired Yang-class (Gearing-class) destroyer.

The HF-2 was developed by the military’s Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, which says the missile has a range of 150 km at Mach .85 — sources say more. CSIST’s other missiles include a new HF-3 and a land attack cruise missile version, the 600-km HF-2E, that can strike deep inside China.

Launched in 1996, the KH-6 program has seen numerous setbacks. Fifty boats were planned, a number halved two years later due to budget constraints. In 2005, state-owned China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSBC) received a $292 million contract, then fought off a challenge by Jong Shyn Shipbuilding.

The 30 KH-6s will replace 50 47-ton Hai Ou-class (Sea Gull) PTGs, which carry two HF-1 missiles and whose aluminum-alloy hulls had coorosion problems. In 1998, a Hai Ou hull buckled after running aground and sinking off Penghu Islands southwest of Taiwan. Based on the Israeli Dvora-class, the Hai Ou were built indigenously in the early 1980s with public donations. The donations were given as a show of support for the military after the U.S. switched diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Sources say the KH-6 will perform hit-and-run attacks on Chinese ships attempting to cross the Taiwan Strait during an invasion or naval blockade.

“Winning a contract in this economically vital region is a significant achievement, especially as the reliability of MTU’s engines played an important role in the customer’s decision,” said Rainer Breidenbach, Board Member at Tognum AG and Chief Executive at MTU Friedrichshafen, in a Tognum press release.

In related news, Taiwan’s navy plans to test-fire a Standard SM-2 surface-to-air missile from a Kidd-class destroyer on Sept. 12. In 2001, the U.S. sold Taiwan four Kidds for $732 million. Dubbed the Keelung-class (DDG-1801), the ships were commissioned in 2005 and 2006.

Thx for sharing great photos from Taiwan, you don't get to c tis much from defence news.

Yes, Taiwan is top mil h/w buyer and they have more choice over SK or Japan as SK/Japan tend to buy from US only.

I think this is a knock-off of my PLA thread.

It is, in some ways - your PLA thread was a great idea, and I thought it would be better to do it this way than to have dozens of non-related Taiwan military topics.

It's actually the other way around - South Korea and Japan are independent sovereign nations and can buy from abroad more easily, and also they don't have China breathing down their necks (Nearly all European nations, for example, won't sell to Taiwan for fear of Beijing's retaliation.)

This is why South Korea has sometimes managed to get huge industrial offsets of 150% or more, when bargaining with the US, whereas the US has Taiwan over a barrel and can charge whatever price it wants without giving offsets...

New Taiwanese Air Base in the Spratly Islands:

http://maritimeasia.blogspot.com/

ROCAF photos:

F-5F Tiger


Mirage 2000-5



AT-3 jet on aerobatics demonstration team


E-2T Hawkeye


F-16A


All fighters in ROCAF inventory + E-2T


New Goshawk fighter



Goshawk interior cockpit


C-130H

ROCN photos:

Hai Lung-class submarine





Hughes 500MD Defender antisubmarine helicopter




Hai Shih-class submarine




S-70C Thunderhawk naval helicopter




S-2T Tracker antisubmarine aircraft





Kidd-class destroyers





HF-2 and HF-3 missile launchers on Perry-class frigates




Knox-class frigate




S-70C rescue helicopter

MND will renew toxic gas filters at 2 air bases

http://www.cna.com.tw/eng/topread.php?id=200709230009

Toxic gas filtration systems at two well-guarded air bases in eastern Taiwan will be renewed as part of efforts to retain the military's counterattack capabilities in the event of a conflict across the Taiwan Strait, defense sources said Sunday.

According to the sources, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) will budget more than NT$463 million (US$14 million) in the coming four years for renewal of toxic gas filtration systems as well as airtight and ventilation facilities at Chiashan and Shihtzushan air bases, both of which boast carefully guarded aircraft hangars hidden in mountain caves.

Noting that the military came to understand during a cyber-war game simulating attacks from China last year that preserving airborne combat capabilities is far more important than securing air supremacy over the Taiwan Strait, the sources said most of the air force's fighter fleets in western Taiwan will move to the Chiashan air base in Hualien County and Shihtzushan air base in Taitung County should a cross-strait conflict break out.

Against this backdrop, sources said the military needs to further upgrade airtight sealant, ventilation, and toxic gas filtration systems at the two bases to better protect them from attacks by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

The MND is planning to replace the existing filtration and ventilation facilities with new European-developed systems and install brand new toxic gas early warning systems at the two air bases. The new systems will not only detect a wide variety of posionous gases but can also help monitor the efficacy of the filtration systems, the sources said.

Moreover, the sources said new airtight purification facilities and centralized mainframe control systems will also be installed at the two air bases.

Editorial: Taiwan's military juggling act

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials...9/25/2003380348

Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007, Page 8

Now matter how one looks at it, diplomacy -- the course Taipei has chosen to adopt, despite the arduousness and slowness of it -- is the most reasonable option to advance state interests. Sad to say, however, regardless of whether one is in favor of militarization of the Taiwan Strait or against it, Taiwan must, in the face of potential aggression by China, stand on guard.

But as it builds its defenses, the country must juggle defensive and countervailing measures. In other words, it is one thing to reinforce command-and-control nodes and have alternative airstrips and missile defense systems, but in order to be truly effective, the state must also possess a deterrent force, one that compels the enemy (assuming its decisionmakers are acting rationally) to calculate the costs and benefits of launching an attack.

However pessimistic this may sound, people who argue that Taiwan should only purchase and develop defensive weapons have, at best, a tenuous grasp of how military decisions are made.

Hence, the sporadic rumors that Taiwan is developing missiles capable of reaching major Chinese cities or, more recently, the ado over the possibility that Taiwan would deploy surface-to-surface missiles on Kinmen and Matsu.

Whether such a deployment will become reality or not (and the maintenance of a little secrecy on the matter wouldn't necessarily hurt), the very existence of a possibility is enough to play into Beijing's calculations should the moment come when it feels compelled to launch an attack against Taiwan.

But Taipei's juggling act involves a third ball, one that it must keep airborne with great caution. A state's ultimate defense lies not in the quantifiable -- eg, the number of aircraft, subs and missile defense systems it owns -- but rather in its capacity to avert armed conflict in the first place. So, putting diplomacy aside and focusing on the purely military, Taiwan's military build-up must be accompanied by the necessary mechanisms mitigating the risk that war will come not out of will, but through error.

As we have seen, defenses alone are insufficient, and a state facing a threat of invasion must also have a deterrent. However, as countervailing forces imply offensive weapons, the risk that human or technical error will result in an accidental launch and spark a conflict increases exponentially as the arsenal grows. The greater the number of weapons, the higher the complexity.

We can all be grateful that Taiwan isn't a warlike country and that in the Strait, only one half of the equation has adopted an aggressive stance. The risk to us all would be all the greater if both were rattling their sabers, or much more threatening if Taipei had chosen to go down the nuclear path.

In the end, it all boils down to keeping everything in balance: Building forces while managing to avoid an arms race that, by virtue of its disproportionate opponent, Taiwan cannot hope to win. It means reducing the risks of error by establishing better communication and greater transparency with the opponent without, on the other hand, revealing one's every position.

All that being said, the value of deploying missiles on Kinmen and Matsu, among other options, is open to debate, as is the veil of mystery that surrounds that possibility. But no matter what it does, every offensive capability Taiwan acquires comes with a responsibility to ensure that it doesn't create more danger than it prevents.

A little secrecy can't hurt, but too much of it and we're all left in the dark, bound to react in alarm at every whisper.

Defense Ministry set to display hardware on Double Ten Day

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_cont..._Society_TAIWAN

Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Page 3
2007-09-26 02:02 AM

The Ministry of National Defense confirmed yesterday that a military display will be staged in front of the Presidential Office on Double Ten National Day for the first time since 1991, saying that the display will provide the public with an excellent opportunity to review and compare the new weapons purchased by Taiwan in recent years.
A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said that in addition to a parade by regular ground forces, there will also be a display of paratroopers and some special forces from the Army and the Marines that have been trained to carry out special missions.

Among the new aircraft that will fly over the Presidential Office are F-16 fighters, Mirage 2000-5 fighters, AH-1W assault helicopters, OH-58D surveillance helicopters. F-16 and Mirage 2000-5 fighters have replaced F-5E and F-104 fighters to become the backbone of the Taiwan Air Force.

The Army will display three kinds of armed personnel vehicles that it recently acquired, including the Taiwan-made Cloud Leopard eight-wheeled vehicles and the Avenger vehicles equipped with machine guns and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

AAVP7s, the amphibious-landing vehicles purchased by the Marines in 2001, will also be on display during the parade.

Taiwan-made "Hsiung Feng" anti-ship missiles were first introduced to the public as anti-ship missiles in 1991, but they have been upgraded over the years to become ground-to-ground missiles. There are three versions of such missiles that can be launched from sea, air and ground on various platforms.

The spokesman confirmed that Taiwan test-launched a land-attack "Hsiung Feng 2E" missile at its Jiupeng Missile Test Range in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan earlier this year, but he declined to give any more details.

With a reported range of 1,000 kilometers and armed with a 400-kilogram warhead, the new missile will be able to strike as far north as Shanghai, according to reports.

LET THE SHOOTING BEGIN!!!

I'm not too sure if you're being on topic or not Moviez, but yeah, nice guns.

U.S. could spike missile plan, expert says

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_cont...Politics_TAIWAN

2007-09-30 12:58 AM

Taiwan's program to develop missiles capable of hitting major Chinese cities could be hampered by U.S. objections, a defense analyst said yesterday.
Defense experts have noted that Taiwan is clandestinely developing cruise missiles with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers that could hit Shanghai, the financial capital of China.

Taiwan tested the long-range Hsiungfeng 2E missile early this year, according to recent Taiwanese media reports.

But Wang Kao-cheng (王高成), a defense analyst, said the U.S. could pull the plug on the missile program by withholding sophisticated satellite guidance technology from the Taiwanese military. The program could founder without the technology, he said.

"The U.S. has objected to Taiwan developing mid- to long-range missiles, fearing it could embolden the island's authorities to take more provocative policies toward China," said Wang, professor of strategic studies of Tamkang University.

The U.S. could further cut back on its weapons supply to Taiwan as tensions rise across the Taiwan Strait over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) perceived attempts to push for Taiwanese independence, Wang said.

Defense experts say Taiwan is developing the long-range missiles to counter the mainland's aggressive military buildup in recent years. Taiwanese leaders say China has deployed 900 missiles targeting Taiwan.

Taiwanese officials say the island is only developing a tactical shore-based missile restricted to hitting Chinese airfields and radar stations. The missile would be used in counterattacks against China's ballistic missiles, they say.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/10.../Taiwan-has.htm

ROCA mobile SATCOM terminal

House urges sale of F-16s to Taiwan

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/arch...0/04/2003381597

JUST DO IT: In a bid to meet the Oct. 31 deadline set by the Legislative Yuan, the US House of Representatives urged the Bush administration to stop dragging its feet

By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
Thursday, Oct 04, 2007, Page 1
The US House of Representatives, signaling an intensifying dispute with the administration of US President George W. Bush over Taiwan policy, approved without opposition on Tuesday a resolution urging the administration to end its resistance to the sale of advanced F-16C/D fighter aircraft to Taipei.

It was the second rebuke that the House has sent to the administration over Taiwan policy in just over two months, and reflects growing disquiet not only within the majority Democratic Party, but also among many of Bush's closest conservative Republican soul mates in Congress.

On July 30, the House unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Bush administration to allow President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and other top Taiwanese officials to visit Washington freely to enhance communications between the two countries. The administration opposes that resolution.

Like the current bill, the visitation resolution passed the House under rules that speed its consideration. In the case of the F-16 bill, the House approved it less than a week after it was introduced into the legislative hopper.

That was because the defense bill passed by the Legislative Yuan, which provided US$488 million as a downpayment for the purchase of 66 fighters, called for the funds to be withdrawn if the Bush administration failed to provide price and availability data by Oct. 31.

While Taiwan supporters hope that the rapid House action might make the timely provision of that information possible, they are not optimistic.

Representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said he could not tell if the latest congressional action would affect administration policy. But he did note that only two weeks after the House approved the resolution calling for Chen to be allowed to visit Washington, the administration restricted the Taiwanese president to making transit stops in Alaska on a trip to and from Central America.

"So the administration might not always do the things that Congress wants," Wu said.

Nevertheless, he said, "we really hope that the United States can sell Taiwan the F-16s."

"And I'm very glad that Congress, based on its long friendship and support for Taiwan, passed that resolution, and I express our deep, deep appreciation to the American Congress for doing that," he added.

"I think this shows to the public here in the United States as well as the public in Taiwan that we have substantial support in the US, the congressional branch of the government, and they're concerned about Taiwan's defense needs and concerned about the treatment of the Taiwan government," Wu said.

The resolution was based on the mandates of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) of 1979, which requires that the US supply Taiwan with sufficient armaments to ensure its defense, and that decisions on these sales be based solely on Taiwan's military needs.

Supporters of the bill charged that the administration is violating the TRA by blocking the sale of the F-16s sales for political reasons -- specifically, Taipei's planned referendum on a UN membership bid using the name "Taiwan" and other "controversial" actions taken by Chen.

"The [House] resolution simply says the executive branch should follow the law," said Ted Poe, who like Bush is a Texas Republican, in a floor speech supporting the bill.

"Despite Taiwan's needs, the United States is refusing to respond to Taiwan's entirely legitimate requirements for military sales. In doing so ... The Taiwan Relations Act is obviously being ignored," Poe said.

Poe also claimed that Bush is kowtowing to China: "Any US sale at any time will be objected to by the Chinese Communist regime."

"Should that affect our commitment to the stability of the Taiwan Strait? Are we timid because of China? Likewise, should our defense commitment to Taiwan be held hostage to a clash of personalities, the political season in Taiwan or Washington's desire to accommodate Beijing?" he asked.

Representative Shelley Berkley, a cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said: "We must give Taiwan arms to defend itself, safeguard its expansion of democracy on that island and in its region in the coming years."

"Taiwan is a vibrant democracy, a trusted ally, a strategic partner of the United States. It is imperative that we signal our support for the world to see that America stands with its fellow democracies and will defend them against any threat of military aggression," she said.

Representative Tom Tancredo called the vote "a clear rebuke" to the Bush administration.

"It demonstrates the growing gulf between the expanded engagement and friendship with Taiwan that Congress wants to see, and the negative and destructive direction in which the State Department bureaucracy is unfortunately dragging the US-Taiwan relationship," he said.