Taiwan Completes Training for Chinese Invasion, Missile Launch Drill Scheduled for August

Taiwan, having completed the Han Kuang exercise in preparation for a Chinese invasion, is set to conduct missile launch drills soon, according to Taiwanese media including Liberty Times on the 30th.

Rocket launched from the warship anchored at Anping Harbor [Captured from Taiwan Warship Facebook]

According to reports, a Taiwanese government official stated that starting next month, the Taiwan Navy and Air Force will conduct their annual live-fire missile launch exercises.

In this regard, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration explained that around mid-August, its vessels will conduct live-fire exercises involving weapon systems including the 'Zhenhai' (?海) rocket, a 2.75-inch (70mm) guided rocket with a range of 10 km developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan's national defense research institute.

The Taiwan Air Force Command recently announced that from August 1 to 25, live ammunition firing exercises will be conducted in the southeastern waters of Taiwan. Additionally, different maritime firing control zones have been established for the launch of air-to-air, air-to-ship missiles, and various air defense missiles.

The northern district mobile coast guard unit of the Coast Guard Administration is reported to plan firing exercises involving weapon systems such as the Zhenhai rocket, deploying vessels including the 4,000-ton class Xinzhu ship (CG5002) and the 3,000-ton class Yilan ship (CG-128). Meanwhile, the Nansha command of the Coast Guard Administration announced live-fire exercises at Taiping Island (English name Itu Aba) in the Spratly Islands (Chinese name Nansha Qundao), which Taiwan effectively controls in the South China Sea. A caution notice was issued for a 5-nautical-mile (approximately 9 km) radius around Taiping Island and an altitude of 12,000 feet (about 3.6 km).

Taiwanese media particularly reported that the second maritime firing control zone includes the area from the Jufeng base in southern Pingtung to 100 km east of the offshore islands of Lanyu and Ludao in the east. This is interpreted as being for the live-fire of the Hsiung Feng-3 supersonic missile, nicknamed the 'aircraft carrier killer,' with a range of 400 km, and the improved-range version of the Hsiung Feng-3 supersonic missile. It was also added that the Coast Guard vessels participating in the joint live-fire exercises with the Navy will be equipped with Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles and will join the military's pinpoint strike training.

Earlier, the Taiwanese military conducted the Han Kuang 39 outdoor maneuver military exercise, held annually since 1984 to simulate repelling a Chinese military invasion and to assess combat readiness and defense posture, over five days from the 24th across Taiwan. Taiwanese media reported that this exercise included defense drills for civilian critical infrastructure such as the crude oil refinery in Taoyuan and Taipei Train Station, in addition to major military facilities, making it the most realistic exercise to date.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.