The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday said that alleged fraud in the production of indigenous Tien Kung missiles (Skybow, 天弓) would not affect national security, after local media reported that local contractors had used poor quality Chinese-sourced materials.
Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine yesterday reported that local contractors involved in the production of Tien Kung missiles had used inferior-quality silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR) sourced from China, severely affecting missile capabilities.
The Tien Kung family of missiles, especially Tien Kung-III, is expected to become the nation’s main anti-aircraft platform, and if they were unable to launch as a result of poor components,
FRAUD: The missile developer said it was aware of attempts by contractors to pass off inferior goods as original equipment and had taken steps to ensure quality controlBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwan will spend close to NT$240 billion (289 billion baht) on eight types of weapons to help boost its defences in the face of growing military threats from Beijing.
A source within the military yesterday revealed that a secretive extended-range version of the domestically developed Tien Kung III ground-based missile defense system has entered mass production, following approval from the Ministry of National Defense and testing by the military. Some aspects of the system’s capabilities are said to exceed the US-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile batteries currently being used by the military.
This is excellent news, given the heightened threat to Taiwan posed by an increasingly jingoistic China. The military believes that the Tien Kung III is capable of countering the missile threat posed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army
The Legislative Yuan on Nov. 23 approved a bill authorizing the government to draft a special budget of up to NT$240 billion (US$8.66 billion) for arms procurements through the end of 2026.
The law allows the government to tap into a special budget to fund increased production of a range of important indigenous military armaments, including Hsiung Feng III (“Brave Wind”) supersonic anti-ship missiles, Tien Kung (“Sky Bow”) air-defense missiles and the Hsiung Feng IIE cruise missile, which possesses a medium-range ground attack capability.
The government’s 2026 target to reinforce and re-equip Taiwan’s military dovetails neatly with an assessment made in March