Taiwan’s Thunderbolt-2000 rocket system explodes during live-combat training
- Artillery multiple launch rocket system, built by Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, jammed during launch, says defence ministry
- Blast coincides with magnitude-6 earthquake that shook eastern Taiwan on Monday, although it is not known if the quake was a factor
Taiwan’s Thunderbolt-2000 rocket system, which is designed to counter potential amphibious and sea attacks from mainland China, exploded during a live-fire combat drill in the southeast of the island on Monday.
“The rocket was jammed for an unknown reason when it was launched,” said a spokesman for the Fourth Military Operation Zone based in southern Taiwan.
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Taiwan army conducts live-fire exercise to test combat readiness and firepower
He said the propellent – a chemical mixture burned to produce thrust in the rocket – was set off instantly, causing an explosion that damaged the system’s launcher truck.
“No officers and soldiers involved in the drill were injured,” the spokesman said, adding that the Chung-Shan Institute and the army had already set up an investigation task force to determine the cause of the incident to aid future firing drills and training missions.
Local news media reports said residents there first heard a loud blast and then saw a mass of smoke from the drill site. The army then suspended the drill, the reports said.