Lai touts drone integration during Taiwan live-fire drills

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday inspected joint precision-missile live-fire drills at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County, where multiple types of attack drones took part in joint combat exercises for the first time.

The three-day drills, which concluded Friday, featured Taiwan's indigenous Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile systems, Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile systems, and U.S.-purchased M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), according to footage released by the Presidential Office.

The drills also marked the first time multiple types of attack drones had been incorporated into joint combat exercises, Lai said in remarks to military personnel after observing the exercises.

"The coordinated use of unmanned vehicles and conventional weapons showed that the military is accelerating efforts to strengthen its overall combat capabilities," Lai said.

"It also demonstrated to the people and the international community that the armed forces have confidence in their ability to defend national sovereignty and fulfill their responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability," the president added.

Lai said participating units carried out joint air defense, counterstrike operations, sea-air coordination, coastal strikes and nearshore defense during the drills, and praised the personnel for their performance.

Lai was accompanied by Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology President Li Shih-chiang (李世強).

Army Commander Gen. Lu Kun-hsiu (呂坤修), Navy Commander Adm. Chiang Cheng-kuo (蔣正國) and Air Force Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Wang Te-yang (王德揚) also attended.