Hsiung Feng 3 (Brave Wind 3) supersonic ASCM.
Hsiung Feng 2E subsonic anti-ship missile.
Posted on 11/28/2009 1:58:48 AM PST by myknowledge
China appears to be having success in using diplomacy to disarm Taiwan (which it considers a rebellion province, and threatens to take by force, if peaceful means fail.) For decades, China has been putting economic and diplomatic pressure on other nations to prevent them from supplying Taiwan with weapons. Even the U.S. has constantly been pressured, despite the fact that there is a three decade old American law that mandates U.S. sales of weapons to Taiwan. But China has leaned on the U.S. despite that law, and has succeeded in stalling Taiwanese efforts to buy 66 more F-16 fighters. While the U.S. did approve the sale of anti-aircraft missile systems, helicopter gunships and anti-submarine aircraft to Taiwan last year, the constant Chinese complaints about F-16 sales have worked. The Chinese efforts to halt U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have come more and more successful. In response, Taiwan is implementing some far reaching military reforms, and expanding its own weapons development and production efforts.
For the last five years, Taiwan has been reducing its armed forces from 350,000 back then, to 275,000 now and 215,000 by 2014. At that point, the military will be all volunteer. Conscription has long been unpopular, and fewer troops will mean more money for new equipment.
Defending the island against Chinese attack is seen more a matter of technology than masses of troops. To that end, Taiwan has resumed development and production of the Hsiung Feng 2E cruise missile. This project was halted two years ago to appease China, but that didn't work. Taiwan has also developed its own laser guided bomb kits (like the U.S. JDAM).
The Hsiung Feng 2E is a 19 foot long cruise missile that weighs a ton (with a 450 pound warhead) and has a top speed of 800 kilometers an hour. Max range is 600 kilometers. It uses inertial and GPS guidance. The Hsiung Feng 2E was developed from the Hsiung Feng 2 anti-ship missile. This was a smaller weapon (.685 ton), with a range of 160 kilometers. It entered service in the early 1990s, and by the late 1990s, developers were working on turning it into a cruise missile. The Hsiung Feng 2E can be launched from ships or from land and can threaten Chinese targets several hundred kilometers inland.
Meanwhile, the F-16s are still needed, mainly because this type aircraft is the key element in the Taiwanese Air Force. Currently they have 140 F-16s, 55 Mirage 2000s, and 120 Ching-Kuos, which is sort of “F-16 Lite”. The F-16s Taiwan wants to buy are more modern and powerful models.
Hsiung Feng 3 (Brave Wind 3) supersonic ASCM.
Hsiung Feng 2E subsonic anti-ship missile.
Taiwan needs to become as self-sufficient as possible in weapons production because the rest of the world is always going to bend over for the PRC for the sake of their greater economic interests, including the US....
Another failure from the Free Trade with Communist China crowd....the pandering of Communist China by Free Trader Globalists has made the Taiwan issue always more tenuous than it should be. Good to see Taiwan (Free China) is taking steps to protect itself.
Taiwan should arm its citizens. Send soldiers done with their enlistment home with their rifles, and bring them back every 2 years for training.
“...For the last five years, Taiwan has been reducing its armed forces from 350,000 back then, to 275,000 now and 215,000 by 2014. At that point, the military will be all volunteer. Conscription has long been unpopular, and fewer troops will mean more money for new equipment. ...”
Yeah...and 7 million Red ChiCom draftees, suitably impressed and imbibed with communist fury about “stolen land” and “capitalist pigs” from their political commissars, indoctrinated since birth, and armed to the teeth will teach those Taiwanese upstarts the meaning of “Quantity has a quality all its own.”
I hope those brave folks in Taiwan can hold out and stick a middle finger in the ChiComs’ eyes...
But I guarantee they have their own Liberal traitors (similar to our own Democrat Party) in their midst too. I wonder how you translate “Better Red Than Dead” into Chinese?
Sorry for the pessimism...but we’ve seen this movie before.
A low altitude 150 mi EMB (electro magnetic burst)dentonated directly overhead very likely would preceed any invasion. Which would fry all things using electrical systems including vehicles and communications leaving the island virtually defenceless. That would suit the ChiComs very nicely. The ChiComs would then waltz in welcomed by the 10-20% who expect to pickup the pieces at the expence of the rest. Until they get displaced.
Unless the Taiwanese are willing to prepare for this by shielding their existing systems (fiber optics and underground generating systems) and establishing an off shore retaliatory force. Thats their fate...Pessimistic, very I am...
Does Taiwan have nukes?
Good. We should be thinking regime change in red china.
No. They have the knowhow though.
If Taiwan get nukes though, whether America or the west helped, China will respond by gifting Nukes to any thorns in our sides. Serbia, Venezuela, Insert any country’s name, with the bomb...
Screw the Army. What Taiwan needs to focus is a robust submarine fleet with nuclear missiles.
“...Pessimistic...”
I am too. History seems to be on the side of the scumbag Chicommunists at this point...but things change.
That’s the only constant thing - change, either for good or bad.
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