Taiwan’s government has ramped up its efforts to enhance sea and air combat capabilities by expediting the mass production of various missile systems, as confirmed in the latest report submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the Legislative Yuan.
The report highlights significant progress in the production of Hsiung Feng III (HF-3), Sky Bow III (Tien Kung III), and Wan Chien missiles.
The development of supporting infrastructure, including ammunition depots and combat readiness control systems, has also met its scheduled targets for the fiscal year 2023, with production milestones achieving 100% completion.
The Ministry of National Defense detailed in its report that various mobile launch platforms, integral to Taiwan’s defense strategy, achieved a 94% production completion rate for the year.
The special budget for sea and air combat capability enhancement encompasses ten projects, with the production of shore-based anti-ship missile systems categorized into two phases. Both phases include the mass production of HF-2 and HF-3 missiles, with the second phase specifically focusing on the extended-range HF-3 missile system and the construction of combat readiness control rooms.
“The second phase of the shore-based anti-ship missile system commenced in 2023, indicating that the production of the extended-range HF-3 anti-ship missile system began last year,” a military official stated. “The initial batch of the extended-range HF-3 missile system has already been handed over to the Navy for operational deployment.”
Reports indicate that the initial batch of the extended-range HF-3 missile system is currently deployed by the Navy’s anti-ship missile battalion. The next unit slated to receive and deploy this advanced missile system will be the light frigates, currently under construction and expected to be delivered by October 2026. These frigates will be equipped with the extended-range HF-3 missiles and undergo a series of naval combat tests.