Taiwan military stages live-fire drill ahead of annual war games

ROC Central News Agency

07/09/2020 06:31 PM

Taichung/Taipei, July 9 (CNA) A live-fire rehearsal, simulating a Chinese invasion by sea, was staged in Taichung on Thursday, in preparation for the start of the annual Han Kuang war games next week.

Troops from three branches of Taiwan's military participated in the anti-landing exercise at Jianan Beach at the mouth of the Dajia River in central Taiwan.

During the exercise, Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs) and F-16 fighter jets launched missiles at simulated targets at sea, while the Army's Thunderbolt-2000 artillery system fired rockets from the shore to deter the invading force.

Due to unstable weather conditions, however, some actions, such as the inclusion of the military AH-1W Cobra, AH-64E Apache and OH-58D helicopters, were canceled on Thursday.

According to military officer Chen Hung-yi (陳鴻義), the helicopters were ordered to stand down because of the rainy weather, which may have affected the precision of their weapon radars.

The drill in Jianan was a rehearsal for the annual live-fire Han Kuang exercises, which are scheduled for July 13-17 and will include an operation at the same beach.

Meanwhile, a military source told CNA Thursday that members of the Military Police Command's elite forces will join the special units of the police and coast guard for the first time in the annual war games next week.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the elite units will participate in an exercise that involves repelling invading forces trying to kidnap a head official.

The exercise will be held at several different locations, not just in the area of the Presidential Office, the official said.

(By Matt Yu, Su Mu-lan and Ko Lin)

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