Monday, 12 November 2012

Taiwan tests missile

TAIPEI: Taiwan tested its longest range ship-to-ship missile within a month of China putting its first aircraft carrier into service, a report said on Monday.

Dubbed an “aircraft carrier killer”, the missile has a range of 400-km and is capable of achieving Mach 3.0, or triple the speed of sound, the Taipei-based United Daily News said.

“The Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology finished a series of tests off Taiwan last month,” it said, in reference to Taiwan’s arms development unit.

“No ship is capable of withstanding its high-velocity impact,” the paper quoted an unnamed military source as saying. Taiwan’s defence ministry declined to comment on the report.

The missile was described as a long-range variant of the Hsiung Feng III, already installed on Taiwanese frigates and missile boats and designed to achieve Mach 2.0 with a range of up to 130-km. China put its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, into service in late September.

The Pentagon said the ship, a refurbished Soviet vessel, was the first step towards a future fleet of carriers expected to be built domestically in coming years.

Ties between China and Taiwan have improved significantly since the Beijing-friendly Ma Ying-jeou became the island’s president in 2008, vowing to adopt a non-confrontational policy towards the mainland.


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