National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST; ) is a Taiwanese state owned corporation, formerly part of the Republic of China Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau, which is active in the development, manufacturing, support, and sustainment of various weapons systems and dual use technologies.
Overview.
NCSIST was established by the Republic of China government to serve as a military R&D and systems integration center. In 2014 it became an administrative corporation owned by the Government of Taiwan. NCSIST is involve in product development, manufacturing, delivery, total life cycle sustainment and maintenance. NCSIST fulfills a function comparable to the American Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) but they also assume mixed roles in competing for and awarding research and development, integration and manufacturing contracts. Along with the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation NCSIST it is considered to be one of the two Taiwanese prime defense contractors.
History.
Early history.
Prior to the establishment of NCSIST, Taiwan had a poorly organized national defense industrial program, but the nation was faced with an increasing military threat from the People's Republic of China and a drawdown in international support and exclusion from international forums. The Republic of China would need to build its own set of hardware, instruments, laboratories, and test sites if it was to secure its independence and security. Preparation for the NCSIST began in 1965, ground was broken on the Shinshin Campus in 1966, and the institute was formally inaugurated in 1969. Early work includes various missile and radar systems, as well as systems integration for ROC military aircraft and ships. The NCSIST was also, and remains, active in military construction. After the United States switched diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China the Institute became even more important as Taiwanese authorities felt they could no longer view the United States as a reliable defense partner.
In the 1970s, the Institute replicated and produced the 9M14 Malyutka wire-guided anti-tank guided missile as the Kun Wu. The ROC had obtained the 9M14 Malyutkas from South Vietnam. Due to the dated design and low priority placed on anti-tank weapons by the armed forces it was not widely adopted. By the mid 1970s the Institute employed about 2,000 professionals.
In the late 1970s the Institute embarked on a project to create a short-range ballistic missile prototype known as the Ching Feng. The project was intended as a pilot project to build the necessary skills needed for a long range missile program. The Ching Feng was a single stage missile which could carry a 450 kg warhead up to 110 km. The type was displayed publicly in 1981 but production was cancelled in 1982 because of significant problems with the solid rocket motor and the guidance system. Overall the type resembled the American MGM-52 Lance. The follow on missile to, to be named Sky Horse, was also abandoned in 1981 under US pressure although interest in the type was revived in the 1990s after the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis.
In the 1980s the Institute worked with Honeywell to design a distributed open architecture combat system to replace the obsolete MK 37 Gun Fire Control System aboard Taiwan's Gearing-class destroyers. This system, called the Modular Combat System (MCS), was the first distributed open architecture combat system in the world and featured easily upgradable COTS components. The system had challenges but did the job and was affordable with the architecture, computer, and software all being developed in Taiwan.
In the 1990s Taiwan was faced with tightening restrictions on arms imports from the international community as well as instability caused by the transition from an authoritarian to a democratic system. The Institute responded to these challenges by widening the scope of its R&D programs and implementing a system of vertical integration. In the late 1990s NCSIST developed a space launch platform based on their ballistic missile technology but this program was put on hold under a combination of US pressure and a promise to subsidize Taiwanese satellite launches using commercial American companies such as SpaceX.
In 2011 NCSIST awarded MiTAC a NT$70 million (US$2.22 million) contract to build one prototype "Radar Vehicle for Field Operation and Air Defense." In 2015 police in Taoyuan took into custody three workers and one manager from MiTAC on charges of forgery of data and fabrication of test results. The tender required the vehicle to be able to advance at 8 km/h up a 40 degree incline, the vehicle MiTAC delivered could only advance at 6 km/h. In addition three NCSIST staff were detained on suspicion of colluding with the MiTAC employees to fabricate the test results, these staff then presented the fabricated results to their superiors for approval. The Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office began investigating after receiving a tip.
Modern history.
In 2014 NCSIST was made an administrative corporation by the government, ending its period of secrecy and opening up the opportunity to partner with foreign corporations and export equipment internationally. The new corporate Board of Directors had their first meeting on April 18, 2014. The transition removed a number of restrictions for employees who were now no longer members of the military.
Due to the end of the US Navy's support of the SM-1 missile system NCSIST has taken over support for the system including production of replacement rocket motors. The same approach was taken for the SM-1's Mark 13 missile launcher.
In 2016 NCSIST was awarded a $16.7m contract to carry out a life extension program for the Republic of China Air Force's stocks of MICA and Magic 2 air-to-air missiles. These two missiles arm the ROCAF's Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft.
In 2017 NCSIST announced the commencement of "Project Vega" (織女星計畫) with the goal of producing an advanced domestic fighter as a successor to the F-CK-1. Development was to be split into two parts, the overall design and the engine production, with production to start in 2027. The engine has been dubbed F125XX and is expected to generate 16,400 lbf (73 kN). In 2021 NCSIST stated that work on both parts of the project had progressed ahead of schedule and would be completed by 2024.
In 2017 NCIST exhibited again at International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi after a twelve-year absence. They exhibited 39 items.
In the mid 2010s NCSIST partnered with AIDC and the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) to create an advanced jet trainer based on the F-CK-1. AIDC is the prime contractor on the project with NCSIST taking a supporting role. Originally designated the XT-5 Blue Magpie but ruled out as the T-5 Brave Eagle the aircraft is based on the two-seat version of the F-CK-1 but with non-afterburning engines, greater fuel capacity, more stable wing profile, and the removal of the internal gun. The first of four prototypes, designated A1, was rolled out in September 2019. Low rate production is intended to commence in 2021 with mass production beginning in 2023.
NCSIST is participating in the development of the first domestic Taiwanese AUV. In 2019 NCSIST launched an 80-ton 28m long high speed catamaran research and test vessel named the "Glorious Star" (光榮之星). Built in Lungteh Shipbuilding’s Yilan County shipyard the purpose of the vessel is to shorten the research and development process for naval weapon systems.
In 2019 Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the NCSIST to accelerate mass production of the TK-3 and HF-3 in response to increasing Chinese military power and bellicosity. In addition to stepping up missile production the President also ordered NCSIST leadership to focus building up their talent pool and increase partnerships with academia, industry and government at home and abroad. Mass production of the long-range Yun Feng supersonic cruise missile began in 2019.
In 2019 NCSIST opened Taiwan's first national unmanned aerial vehicle test site in Miaoli County. The test site is managed in partnership by NCSIST, the Miaoli County government, and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan). The site features a 20m runway and is rated for testing UAVs up to 150 kg in weight. They also entered into an agreement with Asustek Computer Inc to collaborate on cloud-based storage, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things technology.
In November 2019 NCSIST tested a new short range anti-ship missile from the "Glorious Star" which while weighting significantly less than the Hsiung Feng II is said to have the same range.
In March 2020 NCSIST conducted live fire daytime and nighttime artillery and UAV detection tests which where observed by a People's Liberation Army Navy Hsiang Yang Hung-class survey vessel.
In April 2020 Chang Chung-Cheng (張忠誠) replaced Gao Chung-Hsing (杲中興) as the president of NCSIST. Gao had courted controversy by deliberately misinterpreting The Classified National Security Information Protection Act. Chang Chung-Cheng is a retired major general who served in the Combined Logistics Command as well as the Armaments Bureau.
In July 2020 NCSIST was awarded a NT$4.8 billion (US$163 million) contract to produce 516 sets of secure high frequency radios for the Taiwanese military. The military side of the contract will be handled by the Navy with a deadline for delivery in late 2023.
In 2021 the Taiwanese army ordered 50 drone helicopters from NCSIST for delivery by the first quarter 2022.
In 2021 NCSIST deputy director Leng Chin-hsu told the Taiwanese Parliament that NCSIST had three previously undisclosed long range missiles in development. Defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng added that work by NCSIST on such weapons had never stopped and remained a priority.
In May 2021 the Taiwanese navy ordered a new series of shore based medium-to-long range maritime surveillance radars from NCSIST.
WMDs.
The institute developed nuclear weapons during the Cold War. In 1967, a nuclear weapons program began under the auspices of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) of CSIST. After the International Atomic Energy Agency found evidence of the ROC's efforts to produce weapons-grade plutonium, Taipei agreed in September 1976 under U.S. pressure to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Though the nuclear reactor was soon shut down and the plutonium mostly returned to the U.S., a secret program was revealed when Colonel Chang Hsien-yi, deputy director of nuclear research at INER, defected to the U.S. in December 1987 and produced a cache of incriminating documents. At present there is no claim that any nuclear weapons program is being pursued.
Organization.
The institute is divided into six research divisions and five centers. Research divisions pursue both project oriented and basic scientific research.
Locations.
NCSIST facilities are located in Taoyuan (four facilities), New Taipei City, Taichung City, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County.