Taiwan, Taiwan
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Taiwan has announced a prototype cruise missile developed in collaboration with a US arms manufacturer, which will be manufactured on the island.
The government-owned government-owned National Cheongshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), a top Taiwanese arms maker, introduced the “low-cost autonomous cruise missile” that developed alongside Anduril Industries, a rookie relative to the ranks of American defense contractors, ahead of the island’s largest defense expo, which began Thursday.
China saw Taiwan as its own territory and vowed to force it to seize it if necessary. Under Xi Jinping leader, China is increasing military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan, sending fighter jets and warships regularly to narrow its presence on the world stage.
Faced with China’s threat, Taiwan’s President Lai Qingte recently announced that Taiwan will raise its defensive spending to 5% of its GDP before 2030.
Ammo, an autonomous, low-cost lo ammunition fired from an aircraft tested by the US military, adapted from Anduril’s Barracuda-500, can be used against targets on sea or land. NCSIST did not give missile range.
Taiwan is aiming to deploy missile production lines for half the following year, surpassing the cost per missile by about $216,000, NCSIST President Li Shih-Chiang told reporters on Wednesday.
“The entire missile supply chain is in Taiwan, and that’s the overall direction for all future cooperation,” Li said.
NCSIST also displayed prototypes of underwater drones and underwater autonomous mobile mines aimed at developing and producing in collaboration with Anduril.
Washington is Taiwan’s leading international advocate and security guarantor and has been the leading supplier of Taipei’s weapons for decades. However, in recent years, US delivery has been slower as demand for arms around the world has skyrocketed and American manufacturers are straining.
CNN reached out to the Pentagon and Andrill for comment.
NCSIST president Li added that the institute will sign two contracts and four memorandums with US and Canadian companies in the three-day defense trade show.
During a visit to Taiwan last month, Andrill founder Palmer Lucky welcomed the island’s manufacturing and technical capabilities.
“Taiwan is on the crisis of the technoindustrial renaissance in national defense, built on the technoindustrial renaissance in industrial electronics.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun struck Taiwan’s “external military interference” at the annual defense forum in Beijing on Thursday.
“We will never allow separatist conspiracy to succeed in Taiwan’s independence. We are always ready to prevent external military interference,” Dong said defense officials, military personnel and academics gathered at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
Don also condemned “Cold War thinking, hegemony and protectionism.”
Last week, Don raised the issue of Taiwan, the red line of Beijing’s red line, and in his first call with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, warned that attempts to use the island to contain China are “destined to fail.”
