TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Troops from Taiwan's Army, Navy, and Air Force took part in a mock counterattack on a simulated landing on a beach in southern Taiwan by China's PLA forces on Thursday (May 30), reported CNA.
As part of the fourth day of Taiwan's 35th annual Han Kuang Exercises (漢光演習), 3,000 officers and soldiers fired 14,000 rounds of ammunition in over 20 waves at Manfeng Training Field in Pingtung County. The exercise included the deployment of F-16 and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) fighter jets, AH-1 Cobra and AH-64E Apache helicopter gunships, Knox-class frigates, Thunderbolt-2000 rocket launchers, M109A2 howitzers, M110A2 howitzers, CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks, CM11 armored vehicles, CM22 mortar carriers, and CM-32 and CM34 Clouded Leopards.
The military said that the simulated air assault and beach landing by PLA forces began at 9 a.m. at the Manfeng Training Ground, Changlong Training Ground, and Jialutang Beach in Pingtung County. The exercise was meant to simulate a counterattack to an assault by PLA troops aiming to capture the area around Chaozhou Township and Pingtung City.
F-16 firing flare during exercise. (CNA photo)
At the beginning of the live-fire drill, the largest of the five-day exercise, with the cover of attack aircraft, a large number of landing ships gathered off of Fangshan Township in preparation to land on nearby beaches. Taiwan's military launched the first wave of its "coastal victory" drill, which consisted of long-range attacks on the enemy by F-16 and IDF fighter jets, Knox-class frigates, and Thunderbolt-2000 rocket launchers.
In the second wave, AH-1W Cobra and AH-64E attack helicopters took the lead in assaulting sea targets. The M109A2 howitzers, M110A2 howitzers, CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks, CM11 armored vehicles, CM22 mortar carriers, and CM-32 and CM34 Clouded Leopards then leaped into action, inflicting heavy losses on the exposed ships.
When the remnants of the PLA force crawled to the shore, a phalanx of armored vehicles, tanks, and howitzers peppered the hapless communist troops. Cobras and Apaches then led another wave of attack, including the use of 40 mm automatic grenade launchers, the guns of the CM33 Clouded Leopard armored vehicle, and many other machine guns and rifles, snuffing out what little resistance was left.
Apaches fire missiles. (CNA photo)
The military said that some Clouded Leopard vehicles in the exercise came equipped with the Mk44 Bushmaster II 30 mm chain gun, which has an effective range of 2,000 meters. The military said that the new weapon has armor piercing abilities and will enhance the Army's combat capabilities to defend Taiwan's shores.
CM34 Clouded Leopard with Mk44 Bushmaster II. (CNA photo)
CM-11 Brave Tiger in action. (CNA photo)