Testing of Tien Chien II missiles on frigates on schedule: ministry

Deputy Defense Minister Kao Tien-chung told lawmakers Wednesday that test firing of the Tien Chien (Sky Sword) II missiles is on track, having been fired from Knox-class destroyers and with testing on Lafayette-class frigates moving forward.

The radar-guided missile was developed by Taiwan's military-run Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology during the 1990s for use as air-to-air missiles in the Air Force.

Kao spoke about the ship-launched variant of the Tien Chien II after Legislator Lin Yu-fang of the ruling Kuomintang raised concerns that the Chaparral missiles and radar systems of Taiwan's Lafayettes are out of date and should be phased out.

Read more