HSINCHU, Taiwan — The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) deployed its Antelope short-range air defense system at Hsinchu Air Base during the Han Kuang 42 military exercises, as Taiwanese forces practiced maintaining air operations after a simulated People’s Liberation Army (PLA) missile strike.
The drill combined emergency runway repair, short-range air defense and rapid rearmament of Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft.
Antelope Provides Local Air Defense
The Antelope system, developed by Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), was deployed to protect personnel repairing the simulated runway damage.
The mobile system is mounted on a 4x4 tactical vehicle and carries four Tien Chien I (Sky Sword I) infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles. It uses a short-range search and tracking radar together with electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The missiles have an effective engagement range of approximately 9 kilometers. The system can be operated from the vehicle or through a remote control console positioned up to 70 meters away.
Developed from the Tien Chien I missile program in the 1990s, the Antelope has been in service for more than 20 years and is used to provide short-range protection for air bases and other important installations.
Emergency Runway Repair
After the simulated missile strike, engineering personnel practiced restoring the damaged runway.
An excavator created a mock crater before a dump truck filled it with gravel. A grader then leveled the material, followed by a bulldozer placing fiberglass expeditionary runway matting over the repaired section.
Engineers also used drones and heavy equipment to assess the simulated damage. The ROCAF's requirement is for the complete process, from crater mapping and damage assessment to runway restoration, to be completed within four hours.
The exercise tested the ability to continue operating from an air base after a runway has been damaged by an attack.
Mirage 2000-5 Rapid Rearmament
While the runway repair was underway, Mirage 2000-5 fighters from the 2nd Tactical Fighter Wing conducted rapid rearmament and emergency takeoff drills.
Ground crews worked in four-person teams to install R.550 Magic air-to-air missiles on the fighters, while loaders were used to equip the aircraft with MICA missiles.
Two Mirage 2000 fighters configured for air defense carried two MICA missiles, two R.550 Magic missiles and two external fuel tanks. After receiving an order from the Joint Air Operations Center, the aircraft became airborne within approximately five to six minutes.
Han Kuang 42 Exercise
The activities at Hsinchu were part of Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang 42 military exercises, which began on August 5 and are scheduled to run for 10 days and nine nights.
The Hsinchu scenario linked runway damage assessment and repair with local air defense and the rapid return of armed fighter aircraft to the air. The exercise was intended to practice the sequence from a simulated enemy strike through runway restoration and the launch of fighters.
The deployment of the Antelope system provided protection for the personnel carrying out the emergency repairs while the base worked to restore its ability to support air operations.
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