Monday, June 10, 2013

RT-2000 multiple rocket launchers on Matsu?

A RT-2000 during HK29 on Penghu
The military may have inadvertently confirmed the deployment of the Ray Ting-2000 on the outlying island of Matsu, less than 1 km from China 

Taiwan has deployed a powerful multiple rocket launcher (MRL) on the outlying island of Matsu capable of hitting targets in China’s Fujian Province, reports are saying, less than two months after the launcher was made the centerpiece of the annual Han Kuang military exercises. 

Located less than 1 km from the coast of Fujian, the Matsu group of islets — there are 36 in total — have served as a forward defense for Taiwan’s military and a key interception point against Chinese amphibious forces. About 5,000 Taiwanese soldiers are deployed on the islands, from a peak of approximately 50,000 during the Cold War. The steady drop in military personnel there can be attributed in part to improving relations between Taipei and Beijing in recent years. 

My article, published today in The Diplomat, continues here.

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