Taiwan Test-Fires Missiles Amid China Threat
Taiwan’s armed forces publicly showcased their missile capabilities on Tuesday at a sensitive test site in the south of the country as China continues to pile military pressure on the self-ruled island.
The Taiwanese navy and air force conducted a live-fire precision missile drill, which was open to the media for the first time since 2012, in waters off the southeastern coast and at a base in Jiupeng in the southernmost county of Pingtung. The base is a weapon research and development and testing site.
The island’s air force launched at least three land-based surface-to-air missiles, according to local media. Two of them were U.S.-made Patriot PAC-2s while the other was an indigenously developed Sky Bow 3. Reports said all the missiles successfully hit target drones.
The Patriot’s radar reportedly has a range of over 93 miles and is capable of tracking 100 targets in the air. The flight ceiling for its missiles, or interceptors, is about 12 miles. A Patriot system can provide area coverage and defense for about 9 to 12 miles against incoming ballistic missiles.
The Sky Bow 3, or the Tien Kung 3, is designed to engage threats such as aircraft, cruise missiles, anti-radiation missiles, and short-range ballistic missiles, according to Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. The institute said the missile has a range of 27 miles.
China has been sending military aircraft and warships around Taiwan daily as it attempts to deter the island’s separatism. It views Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party, which is ruling Taiwan for an unprecedented third term, as “separatists.”
Besides firing surface-to-air missiles, local media claimed that the air force also test-launched an updated version of the Brave Wind II-E (Hsiung Feng II-E) surface-to-surface land-attack cruise missile from Jiupeng on the same day but reporters were not permitted to attend the launch.
The missile reportedly has a range of 745 miles. A Taiwanese military spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the testing of the missile, claiming the military would not comment on “more sensitive” missile tests.
The frigate Pan Chao fired a U.S.-made Standard Missile 1 surface-to-air missile, which has a range of 19 to 35 miles. The military said this drill strengthened the command and control of joint air defense operations and demonstrated its determination to defend the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwanese military also announced that in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, there were a total of five aircraft and 11 ships from the Chinese military operating around Taiwan. One of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and approached the island’s northern airspace.
Local media reported on Tuesday that a Chinese spy ship has been sailing off the eastern coast of Taiwan in recent days, close to waters where the military conducted the missile drill. The report said it was suspected that the spy ship could be collecting intelligence on the Brave Wind II-E.
