TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan plans to deploy CL-20 high-energy explosive across all domestically produced military attack vehicles, NCSIST announced Monday (Dec. 15). The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST, 中科院), Taiwan's top defense research agency, identified CL-20 as a key national technology. NCSIST President Li Shih-chiang (李世強) revealed the development during a Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament, session. The explosive will enhance unmanned boats and drones to boost attack efficiency.
The Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee summoned the Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) for a project report on military explosive raw material procurement. Legislators questioned supplier qualification standards and verification methods during the session. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) emphasized contract fulfillment and safeguarding military interests, noting similar contracts have followed public bidding processes for 20 years.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨), Taiwan's ruling party, Legislator Chen Jun-yu (陳俊宇) raised concerns about military explosive production confidentiality during Monday's session. Chen inquired about the Armaments Bureau's (軍備局) self-production capacity and reasons for external purchases. Armaments Bureau Director Lin Wen-hsiang (林文祥) explained the 205 Factory operates under U.S. standards, with external purchases addressing increased asymmetric warfare demand.
Lin highlighted current production capacity limitations, necessitating both self-production and procurement to meet defense needs. Plans to expand production lines include purchasing 170 tons of critical materials. Li mentioned ongoing collaboration with domestic chemical plants to produce non-hazardous precursor materials, with NCSIST handling refinement. The attack suicide unmanned surface vehicle, tested with CL-20 this year, exemplifies the explosive's planned deployment across military vehicles. ◼