Unmanned surface vessel, drones used in annual precision strike drills

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's annual "Sea and Air Precision Ammunition Firing Exercise" began Tuesday, during which an innovative attack model involving drones launched from unmanned surface vessels was successfully employed against a maritime target.

Hosted this year by the Air Force, the two-day drill will run through Wednesday in Jiupeng, Pingtung County.

According to the military, Tuesday's live-fire phase focused on the Air Force, with Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs) firing Sky Sword II missiles, F-16Vs launching AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, and Mirage 2000s test-firing MICA missiles.

On Wednesday, naval vessels and the Navy's Hai Feng Shore-Based Anti-ship Missile Group are set to fire Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles and Standard Missile-1s, while additional live-fire tests will involve Patriot, Sky Bow, and Sky Sword I systems, the military said.

Certain "special weapons," it added, will also be tested during the two-day event.

One of the highlights of Tuesday's drill was the test of the "Kuai Chi" USV developed by Taiwan's state-run weapons manufacturer National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

Coordinated through the military's command-and-control system, the vessel launched "Ching Feng" attack drones along with an undisclosed drone type in a swarm strike, successfully hitting its target at sea.

The military will consider procurement plans for the system following evaluation of the test results.

According to a firing notice submitted by the Air Force to the Maritime and Port Bureau, restricted zones were set up Tuesday and Wednesday off Taitung's Dawu and Pingtung's Eluanbi, extending eastward toward Green Island and Orchid Island.

The exercise comes amid growing military pressure from China, which in recent years has stepped up gray-zone activities around Taiwan, frequently crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and staging large-scale drills nearby.

Taiwan's military has responded by advancing both indigenous and foreign arms procurement while strengthening training and reforms to counter potential threats.