Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/21/2020
By: Tyson Lu and Joseph Yeh

Taitung, Oct. 21 (CNA) A long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was developed in Taiwan was launched on a rare test flight over the ocean off the east coast of the country Tuesday.

The medium-altitude Teng Yun UAV took off from Taitung Air Base around 5 p.m. Tuesday, heading out over the Pacific Ocean, then returned to the base around 7 p.m.

It was a rare long distance test flight for the UAV, which was developed by the military's top research unit, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), and normally takes only short flights over the Taitung Air Base.

The unusual test flight gave rise to speculations among military observers in Taiwan that it was linked to the Air Force's annual Tien Lung drill that kicked off on Oct. 19 and will continue until Oct. 30.    [FULL  STORY]