TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ocean Affairs Council announced in a humorous Facebook post that eight Coast Guard ships have each been fitted with a 40mm gun, which has a maximum range of 12000 meters and a firing rate of 300 rounds per minute.
The Facebook post joked that people who want to buy the latest Playstation 5 must let their partners check out this latest item. “The Playstation is just like this gun,” the council suggested, “its design is trendy beyond comprehension. You will feel like you need one at home!”
The Fleet Branch of the Coast Guard finished installing the guns on the ships New Taipei, Yilan, Kaohsiung, Miaoli, Taoyuan, Taitung, Pingtung, and Tainan ahead of schedule.
According to the council, the guns have an effective range of 4670 meters and are properly suited to protect Taiwan’s maritime borders. Defense Technology Monthly stated that this domestically built 40 mm gun is equivalent to an anti-aircraft gun.
In a 2018 Facebook post from Taiwan Security Analysis, military expert Mei Fu-hsing’s (梅復興) wrote, “The 40 mm gun selected by the Coast Guard is the right choice. Moreover, I support the use of domestically made 40mm guns!” He also said that the naval gun is much more technologically advanced than the land-based towed version.
He added that the firing accuracy of shipboard artillery depends mostly on the manufacturing quality of the gun mount and that in addition to the gun itself, the weapons platform is also quite expensive.
Ocean Affairs Council Facebook post
