| Sky Sword I | |
|---|---|
| Type | Guided missile |
| Place of origin | Taiwan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980s to present |
| Used by | Republic of China Air Force andRepublic of China Army |
| Production history | |
| Designed | Early 1980s |
| Manufacturer | National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology |
| Variants | Antelope air defence system andSea Oryx |
| References | |
TheSky Sword I,Tien Chien I, orTC-1 (Chinese:天劍一;pinyin:Tiān Jiàn Yī;Wade–Giles:Tʻien1 Chien4 I1) is a short rangeinfrared guided air-to-air missile. The missile has fire and forget slave-by-radar capabilities. It consists of animaging infrared seeker, a high explosive warhead, a solid propellant motor and a guidance control unit.[1] The seeker uses dual spectral IR and has a detection range of 18.5km.[2] The Sky Sword 1 is also used as asurface-to-air missile by theAntelope air defence system.[3][4]
The Sky Sword 1 was developed in the mid-1980s and revealed in May 1986, as Taiwan's first indigenousair-to-air missile.[5] The production of the missile started in 1991 and the air-to-air version enteredROCAF service in 1993. It bears a striking similarity to the AmericanAIM-9 (also in Taiwanese service) and fulfills a similar role on theIndigenous Defense Fighter to the AIM-9 on theF-16. In 2017 NCSIST exhibited a variant of the TC-1 with a larger diameter motor.[6]
TC-1 missiles were employed during a 2019 training exercise off Taiwan’s east coast.[7]
The TC-1L is a ground-launched variant for use with theAntelope air defence system.[8]
Developed for use with theSea Oryx system, the Sea TC-1 variant has an improved seeker, data-link, and rocket motor.[9]
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