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AIR FORCE CLOSELY MONITORS MAINLAND CHINA'S NEW MISSILE TEST

Jul 02, 2002 18:51 UTC+0800

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) The ROC Air Force has closely monitored mainland China's test-firing of a new air-to-air missile, a senior military officer said Tuesday.

Peng Chin-ming, director of the operations department at the Air Force General Headquarters, was responding to a U.S. media report that mainland China's air force test-fired Russian-made AA-120 Adder missiles from two Su-30 jet fighters last week.

Peng said the ROC Air Force obtained information about mainalnd China's missile test-firing plan in mid-June and has since kept a close watch on the mainland air force's movements.

The Washington Times quoted U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports as saying that two mainland Su-30 fighters test-fired AA-120 Adder missiles, both of which hit their targets. According to the report, the test-firing has sparked a debate over whether the United States should offset the mainland's growing arsenal by giving Taiwan access to comparable weaponry.

Commenting on the report, Peng said mainland China acquired Su-30 warplanes from Russia in 2000, which are equipped with AA-12 Adder missiles. Mainland China test-fired the missile, which has a range of 31 miles and a "fire and forget" function, last week for the first time. The missiles are able to hit targets beyond the horizon.

With progress in science and technology, Peng said, future war scenarios will develop in the direction of "long distance and precision" fighting. Remote-controlled weaponry will be the mainstream of future military arsenals.

Peng said the ROC military has no intention of provoking mainland China. In the face of mainland China's continued military build-up, he said, the military will "learn from the enemy" and step up combat training to maintain the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait.

Noting that the air force has constantly conducted tactical and strategic combat training and practiced use of relevant weaponry systems, Peng said local people should have confidence in its defense capabilities.

According to Peng, mainland China's Su-30 jet fighters are equipped with AA-12 missiles which are equipped with active radar and have a maximum range of 50 kilometers and a maximum speed of mach 3.

In comparison, Taiwan's locally developed IDFs (Indigenous Defense Fighters) are equipped with TC-2 missiles which are guided by active radar and have a maximum range of 60 kilometers and a maximum speed of mach 4.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's French-made Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters are equipped with MICA missiles which are also guided by active radar. The speed and range of MICA missiles can reach up to 50 kilometers and mach 3.5, respectively. In addition, Taiwan's U.S.-made F-16 fighters are equipped with highly advanced AIM-120 missiles, with a range of 50 kilometers.

Taiwan has purchased 200 AIM-120 air-to-air missiles from the United States to be installed on F-16s. The AIM-120 missiles are being kept at U.S. bases as part of a policy that bars the transfer of new missile capabilities to the region.

American policy for some time has been to keep Taiwan's military preparedness in direct proportion to the perceived threat from Beijing. According to foreign wire service reports, the U.S. Pentagon may agree to deliver the AIM-120 missiles to Taiwan after mainland China test-fired its new Russian-made air-to-air missiles.

(By Sofia Wu)