Faulty sensor causes glitch in live-fire drill: Navy
ROC Central News Agency
2013/04/17 22:42:21
Taipei, April 17 (CNA) A problematic sensor was identified as the reason why a naval gun failed to function during a live-fire exercise off Penghu County on Wednesday, Navy officers said.
During an anti-landing drill, the 76 mm gun on a Chingchiang-class patrol vessel failed just before it was scheduled to begin firing, said Vice Adm. Hsu Pei-shan, the Navy's chief of staff.
The problem was soon resolved, but the shelling was cancelled because the vessel had already passed the designated area, Hsu said at a news conference.
A faulty sensor on the weapon was identified as the cause of the gun's failure to fire during a simulated attack by China, according to Capt. Chen Chiu-mu.
There was also a glitch on a Chengkung-class frigate when the shelling from its 76 mm gun stopped because the weapon's angle of elevation exceeded the safety limit, Hsu said.
But the shelling resumed later, the Navy said, adding that "there was no (weapon) failure" that time.
The Navy dispatched one frigate and two Chingchiang-class vessels to participate in the drill, which was part of the first round of annual Han Kuang series of military exercises that are being held around the clock for five consecutive days until April 19.
The exercises, Taiwan's most important war games, involve the Army, the Air Force and the Navy and are designed to test their joint combat capabilities.
A second round of drills, slated for July, will consist of computer-aided war games, the military said.
Taiwan and China were intense rivals during the Cold War, but relations have thawed over time and ties have grown closer since 2008, when President Ma Ying-jeou came to office.
(By Elaine Hou)
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