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Advanced weapons systems seen during Bali anti-landing drill rehearsal

ROC Central News Agency

07/13/2023 06:24 PM

New Taipei, July 13 (CNA) The army on Thursday deployed armored vehicles, drones, and Javelin anti-tank missiles while rehearsing for an anti-landing drill scheduled for July 27 that will form part of the Hang Kuang military exercises along a beach in Bali, New Taipei which is considered a critical strategic location.

The Army raised blue flags along the beach, indicating that the military drill rehearsal was underway. Uniformed military personnel were also seen gathering at Wazihwei Camp, among the camouflaged buildings.

The triangular area between the Bali beach, the nearby Taipei Port, and the Tamsui River mouth is considered by Taiwan's armed forces to be vulnerable to a surprise attack by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), and has traditionally been the location anti-landing drills are held.

During last year's Han Kuang drills, the army dug trenches and machine gun emplacements, built bunkers and deployed barricades along the stretch of beach, which will again serve as the site for anti-landing exercises during the drills set to take place this year from July 24-28.

During Thursday's rehearsal, the 6th Army Command was divided into a defensive "blue" side and an offensive "red" side. Shortly after the rehearsal began, the blue team deployed AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles and domestically built CM-32 "Clouded Leopard" armored vehicles to ward off an invasion by the red team who were portraying the PLA.

During the simulation, the red team's offensive was thwarted by the military barricades and trenches on the beach, while the blue team deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to determine the opposing force's coordinates which were then transmitted back to a command center that mobilized ground forces in a counterattack.

The rehearsal also saw blue team infantry carrying FGM-148 Javelin missiles in the trenches. The portable anti-tank missiles have gained fame after they were used to great effect by Ukraine to take out Russian tanks in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, smokescreens were used during the rehearsal to create dense smoke rings and prevent military assets from being exposed to the enemy's radar systems, which could help increase their chances of survival in war.

Meanwhile, no airborne units were mobilized during the simulation out of concern that potential excessive noise would distract students taking the college entrance exam that entered its second day on Thursday, according to the Army.

(By Matt Yu and Sean Lin)

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