Taiwan’s president orders ‘robust measures’ as troops hearth at Chinese language drone — Radio Free Asia

Taiwanese troops shot reside rounds at a Chinese language drone noticed intruding into the airspace of Kinmen County for the primary time, the Kinmen Protection Command mentioned. 

In the meantime, information emerged that the Taiwanese navy has signed a half-a-billion-dollar contract to purchase 4 SeaGuardian drones from the U.S. to enhance surveillance capabilities within the waters surrounding the island.

In response to a press release from the Kinmen Protection Command, 4 batches of Chinese language civilian drones had been detected flying over Dadan island, Erdan island, and Shi islet in Kinmen on Tuesday afternoon.

Troopers stationed within the space fired warning flares on the drones and most of them flew away within the path of China’s Xiamen. One of many drones didn’t heed the warnings and the Taiwanese troops fired reside rounds at it at round 6 p.m. however didn’t shoot it down.

That is the primary time reside ammunition has been fired at a Chinese language unmanned aerial automobile (UAV), or drone, noticed in a restricted space of Taiwan’s outlying islands.

President Tsai Ing-wen instructed the navy to take “robust countermeasures” on Tuesday, in response to current Chinese language drone incursions. 

“I’ve ordered the Ministry of Nationwide Protection to take needed and robust countermeasures at acceptable occasions, to defend the safety of the nation’s territorial airspace,” Tsai mentioned throughout an inspection tour of Penghu, one other outlying island.

Since mid-August, civilian drones have been noticed flying over Kinmen, 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Taiwan’s major island however lower than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from China.

Video clips apparently displaying Taiwanese troopers trying startled and confused have been circulated on Chinese language social media. The “embarrassing movies” led to the Taiwan navy issuing a concrete process on tips on how to cope with intruding drones.

Taiwan’s protection ministry mentioned a nationwide drone protection system can be arrange by 2023 and precedence can be given to outer islands.

Beijing regards Taiwan, a self-governing island positioned about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the mainland, as a part of China.

There are considerations that some outlying islands beneath Taipei’s management, together with Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu, could possibly be the primary targets of China’s future assaults.

SeaGuardian UAVs

Native media in the meantime reported {that a} U.S. delegation has been invited to Taiwan to finalize a deal price TWD $16.88 billion (U.S. $555 million) to promote trendy unmanned aerial automobiles (UAVs) to the Taiwanese navy.

The procurement contract for 4 MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs, along with floor management station-related gear and help methods, was signed on an unspecified date however the first UAV will likely be delivered in 2025.

The UAVs will likely be operated out of Hualien in japanese Taiwan, in accordance with media stories.

MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs are state-of-the-art Excessive Altitude UAVs manufactured by California-based Basic Atomics Aeronautical Methods Inc.

They’re remotely piloted plane methods, “delivering persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” across the globe, in accordance with the producer. 

SkyGuardian UAVs are designed to fly for as much as 40 hours in all forms of climate and are outfitted with Lynx Multi-Mode Radar, superior electro-optical sensors and infrared cameras.

The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) additionally introduced it could deploy an MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAV this October to strengthen maritime surveillance. 

The JCG plans to make use of the SeaGuardian to look out for international fishing vessels and suspicious ships within the Sea of Japan, amongst different areas. The drone can even be used for rescue operations, in accordance with a press release issued in April.

Final week Taiwan’s authorities proposed U.S. $19 billion in protection spending for subsequent 12 months, a close to 14% enhance on this 12 months’s finances to a report U.S. $19.41 billion.

It was reported in Might that Taiwan’s protection ministry permitted a U.S. $146 million finances to purchase indigenous drone protection methods designed by the Nationwide Chung Shan Institute of Science & Know-how.

The methods can be put in at 45 navy bases throughout Taiwan, together with on outlying islands, to disrupt and neutralize hostile drones.