Clock is Ticking for Taiwan ROCAF Indigenous MALE UAV
Taiwan-Built UAV Makes 2nd Attempt to Pass Combat Readiness Tests – UAS VISION
A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been undergoing combat readiness tests since last month after failing them last year.
A source familiar with the matter told CNA Monday that the combat and reconnaissance drone, also known as “Cloud Rider 2,” entered the final testing stage for the second time in mid-March.
The source, however, did not say when testing was expected to be completed.
Under the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) five-step development process, all weapon systems must make it through an initial conceptual design stage, an engineering development stage, initial weapon testing, and combat readiness testing before they can enter mass production.
The military said results from the Teng Yun 2’s unsuccessful first attempt to pass the final testing stage in March 2023 indicated that there was “still room for improvement” in the drone’s design.
At the time, the military said future combat readiness tests would only be done once changes were made to the drone’s software and hardware.
Developed by Taiwan military’s top research unit National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Teng Yung 2, the latest generation of the Teng Yung drone family, is a large, long-endurance, satellite-guided, medium-altitude drone that can carry multiple payloads for surveillance or strike missions.
The NCSIST first exhibited a Teng Yung 2 prototype at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.
The drone passed initial weapon testing in March 2022 and later recorded a maximum airborne time of 20 hours.
Meanwhile, Air Force personnel have since January 2023 been undergoing NCSIST training to learn to operate the Ten Yung 2.
OCAC.R.O.C.(Taiwan) – News
A Teng Yun unmanned aerial vehicle is displayed during a press briefing in March 2023.
Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been undergoing combat readiness tests since last month after failing them last year.
A source familiar with the matter told CNA Monday that the combat and reconnaissance drone, also known as "Cloud Rider 2," entered the final testing stage for the second time in mid-March.
The source, however, did not say when testing was expected to be completed.
Under the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) five-step development process, all weapon systems must make it through an initial conceptual design stage, an engineering development stage, initial weapon testing, and combat readiness testing before they can enter mass production.
The military said results from the Teng Yun 2's unsuccessful first attempt to pass the final testing stage in March 2023 indicated that there was "still room for improvement" in the drone's design.
At the time, the military said future combat readiness tests would only be done once changes were made to the drone's software and hardware.
Developed by Taiwan military's top research unit National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Teng Yung 2, the latest generation of the Teng Yung drone family, is a large, long-endurance, satellite-guided, medium-altitude drone that can carry multiple payloads for surveillance or strike missions.
The NCSIST first exhibited a Teng Yung 2 prototype at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.
The drone passed initial weapon testing in March 2022 and later recorded a maximum airborne time of 20 hours.
Meanwhile, Air Force personnel have since January 2023 been undergoing NCSIST training to learn to operate the Ten Yung 2.
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Indigenous Teng Yun 2 drone falls short in combat readiness testing - Focus Taiwan
Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) The indigenous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Teng Yun 2 has not passed its combat readiness testing phase, with initial results finding there was still room for improvement in its design, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
Further combat testing will be conducted after hardware and software changes have been made to improve the drone's performance, the source said.
The Teng Yun 2 combat and reconnaissance drone, or "Cloud Rider," developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), has evolved from a first-generation drone that did not meet the needs of the military.
The second-generation version is a long-endurance, satellite-guided drone that has a new engine as well as an improved and enhanced configuration and flight control system compared to the first-generation prototype.
It is capable of autonomous take-offs and landings and satellite navigation, and can stay in the air for nearly 24 hours, according to the source.
The new version
completed its first-phase flight tests in March 2022, and Air Force
members were trained to use it by the NCSIST in January and February
2023 before the drone entered combat readiness testing in March.
Initial combat testing results indicated, however, that there was still room for improvement, the source said, noting that efforts to improve the design of the new version are underway and that further tests will be carried out soon.
The combat readiness testing phase is the final hurdle the drone has to clear before it can be manufactured for military use.
Under the Ministry of National Defense's five-step process for developing weapons, drones need to make it through
- an initial conceptual design stage,
- an engineering development stage,
- initial weapon testing, and
- combat readiness testing
before they can enter mass production.
Taiwan Teng Yun 2 prototype drone damaged during runway test│TVBS新聞網
HUALIEN (TVBS News) — A prototype of Taiwan's Teng Yun 2 drone sustained damage during a recent test flight at the Hualien Airforce base on Wednesday (Feb. 22), according to the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).
As per NCSIST, the drone's mechanical components exhibited abnormal behavior during its runway run, following which the takeoff was aborted per standard protocol. However, the drone skidded off the runway during deceleration and ended up in the grass.
In the aftermath of the incident, a crane was dispatched to move the drone onto a tow truck, and personnel was seen assisting in lifting the drone.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the landing gear and propeller were damaged. The drone has since been returned to the factory for repairs, and the NCSIST will conduct tests on its hardware and software components before any future flight testing.
While the damaged drone was only a prototype, experts are concerned that this incident might delay the mass production process of the Teng Yun 2 drone.
In June 2022, the Teng Yun 2 drone completed a 10-hour flight around Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), demonstrating its capabilities.
'Great Shock' For Taiwan's Air Force; Its Indigenous MALE UAV Capable Of Firing AGM-114 Missiles Damaged During Trials
A prototype of Taiwan’s homegrown Teng Yun 2 drone, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), had an accident on February 22 after it spun out of control and ended up beside the runway at Hualien Air Base.
The Teng Yun 2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), which is said to resemble the American MQ-1 Predator.
The drone is said to have a range of 1000 kilometers, an endurance of 24 hours, and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. It features advanced electronic surveillance and interference systems than the Teng Yun drone.
It is compatible with the AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground, laser-guided, subsonic missile with anti-tank capacity. However, the missile can also be an air-to-air weapon against helicopters or slow-moving fixed-wing aircraft.
It can also perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions during the day and night.
The Teng Yun 2 performed a 10-hour flight around Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in June 2022. The mass production of the drone was expected to start this year.
However, the Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times said the recent accident had become a “great shock” to the Taiwanese Air Force.
The drone was being tested before noon on February 22. During the taxing and take-off process, certain mechanical parts of the drone performed erratically, which prompted the cancellation of the flight as per the standard operating procedures.
However, while decelerating, the aircraft slid off the runway before reaching a standstill. A preliminary investigation found that the landing gear and the propeller had sustained damage in the accident.
The NCSIST transported the drone back to Jiashan Air Base, where the software and hardware components are reportedly being inspected.
Taiwan Boosting Drone Development
The military-owned NCSIST is a leading organization in Taiwan’s push for the development of drones, inspired by the lessons learned from the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, where Ukraine, even after one year into the war, continues to resist a numerically superior force.
Earlier this month, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said that the island nation is speeding up the development and production of drones.
“Responding to the present enemy threat and using the general experience of drones in the Ukraine-Russia war to construct an asymmetric combat power for our country’s drones, the defense ministry is speeding up research, development, and production of various drones,” Sun said.
Taiwan wants to reduce its reliance on foreign suppliers and has developed its industry, investing US$1.6 million to produce drones.
“Military drones have played an important role in the Ukraine-Russia war as both Russia and Ukraine are using them to locate enemy targets and guide artillery fire towards them,” said Shu Hsiao-Huang, a warfighting concepts analyst at Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Taiwan’s government think tank.
“They will also be effective for Taiwan when it comes to locating enemy targets and guiding the attacks,” he said, adding that it would be equally important to have precise intelligence about the movements of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
In the event of a Chinese amphibious invasion, if the PLA forces manage to land on the island, the Taiwanese artillery units could destroy the temporary lodgements before they become permanent with the help of “precise intelligence” about the PLA movements and drone-assisted artillery fire.
The ongoing Ukraine war has demonstrated how effective drone-assisted artillery strikes can be, as both the Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to post drone videos on social media showing enemy targets, such as armored vehicles or even self-propelled artillery, being observed for a few seconds before they explode due to an attack by an unseen projectile.
Last year, the PLA released video footage of amphibious assault landings and island-control drills involving marines and other special battle forces. These included at least a dozen ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicles dispatching marines to attack a mock enemy camp during an island seizure drill.
Soon after the marines destroyed all critical military equipment, airborne soldiers arrived in the area from Z-8 transport helicopters. These airborne troops were reportedly from the Eastern and Southern theater commands (which would be in charge of a “Taiwan reunification” war).
In such a situation, a drone like the Teng Yun 2, armed with an AGM-114 Hellfire missile, could enable the Taiwanese forces to prevent the Chinese troops from landing on the island in the first place by destroying Chinese amphibious armored vehicles and the transport helicopters.
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