Posted on 01/17/2011 10:27:40 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
President Ma Ying-jeou presided Tuesday over the unusually public test firing of 19 surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles, but about a quarter missed their targets, earning his dismay and raising new questions about Taiwan's readiness to defend itself against Chinese attack.
The exercise followed last week's successful test flight of China's next generation J-20 stealth aircraft, a system expected to further widen its growing edge over Taiwan's own equipment-starved air force.
Ma's presence at the base in southern Taiwan where the missile test was conducted was meant to underscore his commitment to the maintenance of an effective Taiwanese deterrent, but the poor performance clearly disappointed him.
"I'm not satisfied with the results," he told reporters when the test was concluded. "I hope the military will find out the reasons and improve its training."
The missile test was the first to be held in full view of the press for almost a decade. It was meant, Ma said, "to bring more transparency into military affairs and allow the public to view the military's readiness."
But under a cloud-speckled winter sky, five of the missiles failed to hit their targets, including one RIM-7M Sparrow, which cascaded harmlessly into the South China Sea less than 30 seconds after launch. Other missiles tested included Sky Bow IIs — which have a range of 125 miles (200 kilometres) — MIM-23 Hawks and FIM-92 Stingers
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
This article helps clarify that it's not us they plan to use them on.
The RIM-7 is launched from a naval ship and two MK-95 unmanned illumination radars used to guide a Sea Sparrow. These mistakes were due to operator error.
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