Taiwan test fired medium-range missiles and rockets.

Taiwan has reportedly test-fired a new missile capable of striking targets located as far as central China, a new weapon that will soon enter mass production, Huang Tzu-ti reports in Taiwan News. NCSIST has declined to comment on reports of the missile tests, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

A test launch of Taiwan's Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missile. The missile can be launched from in ship-launched canisters or coastal defense mobile launchers (Picture source: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology)

The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is said to have fired a slew of medium-range missiles and rockets earlier this month at the Jiupeng military base in Pingtung, the southernmost county of Taiwan, wrote UDN. The tests are believed to have included the Yun Feng missile, a supersonic land-attack cruise missile that has a range of 1,500 kilometers, according to the UDN article. The missile, fitted with a ramjet engine, can carry a semi-armor piercing high explosive and fragmentation warhead. The surface-to-surface missile could be deployed to weaken China’s combat capability. The weapon is believed to be able to attack strategic targets including airports, harbors, and command bases located in central China, CNA quoted Su as saying.

Land-based missile systems including Yun Feng and other cruise missiles are a vital asset of Taiwan’s arsenal when engaging in asymmetric warfare against China, Su stated. As the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) poses the greatest threat to Taiwan in the event of a military conflict, the island country would be able to better defend itself if it could launch attacks on China’s air bases.