Ministry of National Defense expects completion of Tinagong III and new anti-ship missile systems within two years

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/10
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – After many years of developing and testing missile and rocket technology to ensure Taiwan’s ability to defend against attacks from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has been instructed to begin a project to streamline production of its missile systems over the next two years.

After consulting with defense experts, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has completed a proposal which examines the anticipated needs for Taiwan’s air defense. After the National Security Council’s recent approved the proposal, and the NCSIST has already begun work on developing the necessary apparatus for expedited production of several missiles systems.

On Aug. 1 the NCSIST officially launched the Qingtian Project lab (擎天計畫室), which is expected to produce 20 Cloud Peak missiles and 10 missile platforms within the year. In addition to the Cloud Peak missiles, the NCSIST is also set to expedite production of the Taingong III missiles.

NCSIST was originally instructed in 2015 to mass produce an arsenal of the Tiangong III missiles in 2015 to upgrade the country’s missile defense systems along the eastern seaboard. The “Qiang Gong Project” (強弓專案) was originally given a budget of NT$74 billion (US$2.4 billion) with a completion date set for 2024.    [FULL  STORY]