Page 111 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec-Jan 2023

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REGIONAL CAPABILITIES 111
are systems that could be launched from manned and Un- manned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV). One such system, the TL-30, was displayed next to a Hongdu L-15 light com- bat aircraft and touted as an anti-radiation loitering muni- tion for targeting adversary radar systems, with a range of up to 280 km (175 miles) and endurance of 50 minutes.
Two other smaller systems were shown for use with un- manned aircraft, including the CM-501X for the CASIC- WJ-700 UCAV and the FH-901 for carriage by the CASC FH-95 UCAV, which was originally envisaged as an un- manned Electronic Warfare aircraft.
However, it is not known if these designs are in service, or even if they have been acquired by China’s People’s Lib- eration Army (PLA). The Chinese military had in early 2020 announced its intention to procure two different types of loitering munitions, but it is not known if it has followed through on the acquisition.
The same could not be said across the narrow strait that separates China from Taiwan. The latter has announced that it would start production of the indigenously developed Chien Hsiang loitering munition, with 104 to be acquired by 2025.
The design was first shown in 2019 and Taiwan’s Na- tional Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) would produce munitions that are in both anti- radiation and decoy configuration.
The Chien Hsiang has a range of 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) and reach a speed of 500 to 600 km/h (310 to 375 mph) when in the terminal dive phase toward its target. Measuring 1.2 metres long and with a wingspan of 2 metres, earlier re- ports suggested the munition has a loiter time of 100 hours.
Taiwan plans to use the system to decoy Chinese radar systems into emitting and then destroying them, with the main Chien Hsiang launch platform being a trailer mount- ing twelve box launchers, with fixed ground and shipboard launchers also having been mooted.
CYBER THREATS
The dependency on the internet in many aspects of our daily lives and even national matters means that cyber ca-
ABOVE LEFT: South Korea has been developing its own missile arsenal with its Hyunmoo family of cruise and ballistic missiles, pictured is a Hyunmoo 2
RIGHT: Japan plans to integrate the AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) onto its F-15Js
pabilities, both offensive and defensive, will be a key prior- ity in the coming years.
This is particularly so given likely regional adversaries such as North Korea and China already have proven cyber capabilities they can use and building up cyber resilience will be a key plank for defence planners.
In the region, Singapore has recently inaugurated its Defence and Intelligence Service to defend against threats in the digital domain as its fourth military service. The DIS will more tightly integrate Singaporean military capa- bilities to deal with a range of security threats, including those from the digital domain, and support other govern- ment department and agencies in dealing with digital and cyber threats.
Japan has also flagged cybersecurity as an emerging do- main, with its Ministry of Defense requesting 75 billion yen ($797.6 million) for bolstering its cyber defence capa- bilities for the next fiscal year. This is more than twice its current budget, underscoring the increased importance it places on the domain.
The increased budget would be used to expand the num- ber and capabilities of its units engaged in this domain, as well as increase personnel allocation and step up training. Funding will also go to research and development, as well as improving the resilience of its communications and C2 networks.
Similarly, Taiwan, which is often at the receiving end of cyber attacks originating from China, is taking steps to boost its cyber capabilities. These range from the spread- ing of disinformation to full blown attempted hacking at- tempts, with the island’s government revealing that its agencies face millions of cyber attacks and probes a month.
To counter these threats, Taiwan has a host of measures put in place, ranging from white-hat hackers tasked with probing for weaknesses in its cyber defences, a well-estab- lished government and non-governmental fact-checking network, and plans to set up a satellite-based internet net- work similar to Starlink to mitigate against a potential loss of internet connectivity in the event of a conflict. ■
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