Ex-CSIST boss tells behind-the-scenes story of missile development projectsBy Aaron Tu, Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerFormer Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) president Kung Chia-cheng (龔家政) made known some behind-the-scenes details of the nation’s missile development in a memoir published by Academia Sinica’s Institute of Modern History last month. Speaking about the supersonic cruise missile developed by the Yun Feng (雲峰, Cloud Peak) project, Kung said the missile could exceed Mach 3 and had excellent penetration, as it comes down on its target vertically. The missile’s speed ensures that it is not easily intercepted, and at the time of the missile’s development, under former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), only the US and Russia were developing similar kinds of missiles, Kung said. Nearly 400 CSIST members worked on a secret project to develop ballistic missile capabilities under the overarching “Tien Kung” project. Officials had been pleased with the successful results of the Hsiung Feng II-E type B simulation, he said.
