Taiwan has officially begun production of its new Chiang Kung anti-ballistic missile system, featuring a two-stage interceptor and the island’s first domestically produced AESA radar. Designed to counter Chinese missile threats, it can intercept targets up to 70 km in altitude and complements existing Tien Kung III and Patriot systems. A longer-range variant and a strike version are also in development. The system boosts Taiwan’s layered defense as concerns grow over a potential Chinese invasion. Joseph Trevithick writes for TWZ:
Taiwan has officially rolled out a new anti-ballistic missile system called Chiang Kung, or Strong Bow, which it says is now in production. The system features a two-stage interceptor and includes the first active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar domestically produced on the island. Taiwanese armed forces would face huge barrages of ballistic missiles as part of any future invasion from the mainland.
Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) shared new details about Chiang Kung (also sometimes transliterated Chiang Kong), as well as video clips showing the system being tested, with domestic news outlets earlier today. […]
More photos of TK-4, its radar and launcher pic.twitter.com/G1adZUvx9X
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American officials have openly discussed a concept, which has been referred to in the past as “Hellscape,” that envisions flooding the air and waters around the island with kamikaze drones and other uncrewed platforms in the event of an intervention across the Taiwan Strait. U.S. and Taiwanese officials have warned that the PLA could be in a position where it would at least be confident of success in such an operation by 2027, if not earlier.
Now that it has been officially unveiled, more details about Chiang Kung’s capabilities and Taiwan’s plans for the system, as well as follow-on developments, may now begin to emerge.
Read more here.
