China: September 2, 2000

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: Taiwan plans to produce 100 Ray-Ting 2000 (Thunder 2000) multiple rocket launchers to defeat Chinese amphibious invasion attempts. This will replace the older 117mm Worker Bee Six multiple rocket system. The RT2000 is said to cost 1/3 as much as the American MLRS system. The RT2000 is mounted on an American M977 HEMTT truck. It fires three types of rockets: 117mm Mk15 (20 per pod), 180mm Mk30 (9 per pod), and 230mm Mk45 (six per pod). Any of these rockets can carry unitary high explosive warheads or M77 bomblets. (The "mark number" of each rocket type indicates the range in kilometers.)--Stephen V Cole