DEFENSE/Precision live-fire missile drills to be held in late August: Source

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) Precision live-fire missile drills are set to be conducted in southern Taiwan in late August and feature the domestically-developed Chien Hsiang loitering munition, a military source told CNA on Thursday.

The annual drills will be held in areas around Jiupeng Base in Pingtung's Manjhou Township from Aug. 20-22, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The military will conduct live-fire exercises with indigenous Hsiung Feng-II (HF-2) and Hsiung Feng-III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, the Tien-Kung III (Sky Bow III) land-based surface-to-air missiles, as well as the American-made Patriot PAC-2 surface-to-air system, the source said.

The exercises will also involve the Chien Hsiang loitering munition developed by National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), the source said, indicating that the NCSIST has already delivered two different variants of the Chien Hsiang to the military.

A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, is a kind of aerial weapon with a built-in warhead that is typically designed to loiter around a target area until a target is located, then attack by crashing into it.

During the three-day exercises, the source said, coast guard patrol vessels are expected to be equipped with anti-ship missiles to train alongside the Navy's warships.

According to a notice released by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the areas that will be affected by the live-fire exercises will include sea and air spaces around Taitung and Pingtung counties, as well as the outlying Green Island, Orchid Island and the Hengchun Peninsula.