Taiwan Military denies failed CIST $3B Stealth UAV program is waste

Asian Defence News: Taiwan developing weapons-capable UAV
Taiwan's military is developing weapons-capable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with some stealth capabilities at the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, an official at the institute told CNA Friday (12/7/13).

This will mark the first armed UAV from the military-run research center, which has developed various tactical drones for surveillance and reconnaissance that cannot carry weapons, according to the source familiar with the institute's project, who requested anonymity.

Unlike previous models, the drone under development boasts short wings, stealth features and a weapons cabin that can carry missiles and bombs, the official said.
 

Strategic UAV development program proceeding smoothly: official | Politics | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
Chin Shou-feng, who concurrently heads the military-run Chungshan Istitute of Science and Technology (CIST), made the revelation at a Legislative Yuan committee hearing during which he was asked about his views on a media report that the institute's UAV development project has hit a snag.

The Liberty Times said in a Monday report that the Chungshan Institute has spent NT$3 billion (about US$100 million) on a plan dubbed "Long March" that aims to develop a strategic UAV capable of conducting reconnaissance missions over airports in China's southeastern provinces such as Jiangxi and Guangdong.

The CIST-developed UAV, however, has fallen short of the Air Force's requirements and has not been put into mass production, the report said.

Military denies that UAV program is a waste of money - Taipei Times

Long March (長征), failed to meet combat requirements and the military decided to suspend the program. The Long March UAV program was launched in 2009 with a budget of NT$3 billion (US$100 million), but the air force required a vehicle with a combat radius large enough to enable it to conduct surveillance operations around Chinese military airports along the coasts of Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and the prototype could not match those requirements.

The report quoted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) as saying that the military wasted NT$3 billion on a system that could not be produced.

Lin was quoted as asking why the air force made the requirement for the UAV, since the military’s US-established early-warning radar system was able to monitor movement along the Chinese coast.