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Most missiles hit targets in live-fire drill, despite drone problems

ROC Central News Agency

2012/07/09 19:15:37

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) Most of the missiles in a major live-fire military exercise in the southern county of Pingtung on Monday were fired successfully to hit the targets, although problems such as the crash of the air targets occurred, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The launch of a Tien-Kung II ground-to-air missile was cancelled because the two drones that were to serve as targets failed to function and crashed into the sea, said Liu Ruey-horng, director of the Jioupeng Base of the ministry's Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

The cause of that problem is being investigated, Liu said at a press conference after the joint forces exercise that simulated an attack by China.

The drill was extended for an extra 30 minutes in order to carry out the launches of the Standard Missile-1 and Hsiung-Feng II anti-ship missile, which were hampered by a problem with another drone and a fishing boat entering a restricted area off eastern Taiwan, respectively, the military said.

During the joint missile test by the Air Force, Navy and Army, F-16 A/B jet fighters, Mirage 2000s, IDFs and AH-1W helicopters were deployed in the air, while at sea a Chengkung-class frigate, Kangding-class frigate, a Chingchiang vessel fended off simulated opposing forces.

The precision weapons tested in the drill included the Hsiung-Feng II anti-ship missile, Maverick air-to-surface missile, Tien-Chien II air-to-air missile, Hawk surface-to-air missile, MICA air-to-air missile and AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missile.

Most of the missiles were fired successfully, hitting between 93 percent and 96 percent of their targets, said Lt. Gen. Ma Ze-yong, commander of the exercise.

"The Hsiung-Feng II missile was the only one that failed to hit its target," he said.

On the question of whether there were any foreign electronic reconnaissance ships nearby, Ma said the only vessel the ministry detected was a U.S. oil frigate, which did not affect the exercise.

"We were prepared to take contingency measures" if electronic reconnaissance ships from the United States, Japan or China showed up, Ma said.

For example, the defense ministry would have canceled parts of the precision-weapon exercise if such ships from China were detected, he added.

(By Elaine Hou)