Report: Taiwan speeds up anti-ship missile production

Defense ministry plans gradual budget increase to NT$22 billion in 2025

In order to counter the growing threat from China’s navy, the military is speeding up the production of anti-ship missiles, reports said Saturday (July 1).

The subsonic Hsiung Feng II and supersonic Hsiung Feng III missiles are covered by the change, while mass production has started on an extended range version of the latter, the Liberty Times reported.

The Ministry of National Defense is gradually increasing its budget for the missiles, according to the report. Missile production will cost NT$15.5 billion (US$497 million) for 2023, NT$19.8 billion next year, and NT$22 billion in 2025.

While the Hsiung Feng II missiles currently in service have a range of 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers), an upgraded version could cover a distance between 160 km and 200 km. The quality of the new missiles is on the same level as anti-ship projectiles produced in the United States and Europe, the military said.

For the Hsiung Feng III missiles, the original maximum range has been increased from about 200 km to 400 km. In addition, the pace of production has been raised to 201 anti-ship missiles per year, including a total of 70 for the two versions of the Hsiung Feng III.