DEFENSE/Shoulder-fired Stinger missiles make rare appearance during Taipei metro drills

Taipei, July 14 (CNA) U.S.-imported FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills in the Taipei Metro simulating a Chinese invasion.

The exercises, part of the Han Kuang drills, featured Military Police troops carrying Stingers, machine guns, 40mm grenade launchers and anti-armor rockets, and were held between Shandao Temple Station and Longshan Temple Station while the metro was closed to passengers.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the exercises simulated Taiwanese troops using the metro system to quickly reach a target area and engage the enemy.

Simulating Taiwanese troops' response after a successful Chinese military landing, the Military Police boarded metro cars at Shandao Temple Station around 1:10 a.m. and conducted a tactical exercise before arriving at Longshan Temple Station.

Around 100 soldiers later exited the metro station and continued their exercises on the streets of Wanhua.

The MND said the U.S.-made FIM-92 Stinger is a fully automated, short-range air defense system and serves as the military's premier shoot-on-the-move air defense weapon.

It is a lightweight, highly mobile, and easily transportable surface-to-air missile system, equipped with eight Stinger missiles housed in two missile pods.

The MND declined to disclose the exact number of Stinger missiles received from the U.S. or their deployment locations, stating only that they were acquired through military aid.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, previously told CNA that the Stinger system provides low-altitude firepower and can be quickly deployed at airports, radar stations, or other combat zones to target low-flying enemy threats.

Monday's exercises took place on the sixth day of the live-fire phase -- the longest-ever segment of the Han Kuang drills -- running from July 9 through July 18, lasting 10 days and nine nights.

Since 1984, the annual Han Kuang exercises have been Taiwan's premier war games, combining live-fire drills and computerized tabletop simulations to test combat readiness against a potential Chinese invasion.

This year's tabletop war games were held from April 5-18.