Taiwan combines HIMARS rocket launchers, drones and missiles in China-focused anti-invasion drill.

Taiwan launched a three-day precision-fire exercise at Jiupeng integrating HIMARS launchers, loitering munitions, air-defense systems, and anti-ship missiles across several services. The drill is intended to test how these weapons can be coordinated within a broader strike and air-defense architecture, including engagements against a full-size maritime target.

The exercise brings together Patriot and Tien Kung air-defense systems, Hsiung Feng II and III anti-ship missiles, the land-based Sky Sword II M142 HIMARS launchers, and ALTIUS 600M loitering munitions. The main maritime phase is scheduled to use the decommissioned frigate Lan Yang as a target off Taiwan’s eastern coast, providing a practical test of cross-service coordination between sensors, command elements, and multiple precision-strike systems.

Related News: Taiwan's Altius 600M First Sea Strike Test Shows How Loitering Munitions Could Disrupt Landing Operations

Taiwanese Army M142 HIMARS rocket launcher during a combat readiness exercise in January 2026. The system is among the weapons involved in Taiwan’s September Joint Precision Munitions Live-Fire Exercise. (Picture source: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Military News Agency)

Events observed through September 17 indicate that the exercise is not limited to demonstrating weapon range. The opening phase focused on air defense and command links, including Patriot firings, while the second day included the use of the Hsiung Sheng missile, the Chien Hsiang loitering munition, and the Land Sword II system. HIMARS, Hsiung Feng II and III missiles, and ALTIUS 600M systems are expected to feature in subsequent phases. At this stage, the specific munition to be fired by HIMARS has not been publicly confirmed, nor has an actual ALTIUS strike against the target frigate.

The M142 can employ several types of ammunition. The U.S.-designed 6x6 truck-mounted launcher carries one pod containing six GMLRS rockets, two Precision Strike Missiles or one ATACMS missile. The munition selected at Jiupeng will therefore determine both the engagement range and the nature of the scenario being assessed. A GMLRS firing does not test the same targeting architecture as a longer-range missile. The exercise consequently appears to focus less on maximum distance than on the transfer of targeting coordinates, fire authorization and the ability of different effectors to exploit a shared tactical picture.

The ALTIUS 600M adds another layer to this architecture. In the ALTIUS 600M-V configuration approved for Taiwan by the United States, the system combines an electro-optical and infrared camera with an interchangeable warhead. U.S. documentation indicates a range of up to 160 km, an endurance of about 90 minutes, and an operating ceiling of approximately 18,000 feet, depending on payload. One operator can control several air vehicles using integrated autonomous functions. Taiwan previously tested the ALTIUS 600M against a maritime target in June 2026. Its presence at Jiupeng has a different operational context if the platform is inserted into a sequence in which sensors, coastal missile batteries, and rocket artillery share the designation of the same target.

The choice of Lan Yang gives the maritime phase greater relevance than firing against a simple barge. The Chi Yang-class frigate, formerly the U.S. Navy’s Knox-class USS Joseph Hewes, entered Taiwanese service in 1995 before being retired in January 2025. Its weapons and radars were subsequently removed as part of its conversion into a target vessel. The hull provides the dimensions, structure and radar signature of an actual warship, although it does not reproduce active air defense, electronic jamming or evasive maneuvering. Taiwanese media have also reported possible participation by the submarine Hai Lung, which could use a heavyweight torpedo during the final phase, but this option has not been confirmed by the Ministry of National Defense.

From a tactical perspective, the main issue is the detection-to-engagement chain rather than the destruction of a decommissioned hull. A force tasked with disrupting an amphibious landing must detect dispersed vessels, establish reliable tracks, transmit coordinates despite electronic interference, assign an available weapon, and conduct follow-on attacks if the first salvo does not achieve the intended effect. Hsiung Feng missiles can engage ships approaching the coastline, HIMARS can strike landing areas or logistical nodes, while loitering munitions can extend surveillance and provide an additional option against moving targets. The operational value of the Jiupeng exercise therefore depends on continuity between sensors, command posts and weapons, as well as the ability to transfer an engagement from one firing unit to another without losing the target track.

The exercise is also taking place amid continued military activity around the Taiwan Strait. Between September 16 and 17, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense recorded 19 Chinese military aircraft sorties, eight People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels and two Chinese government ships operating around the island. For the United States and other regional partners, Jiupeng provides an example of how U.S.-supplied and Taiwanese systems can be combined within a distributed maritime-denial architecture. For Beijing, this development increases the number of mobile sensors and weapons that would have to be accounted for in any amphibious operational planning. The implications therefore extend beyond the fate of Lan Yang, touching on Taiwan’s ability to sustain a coordinated fires network under pressure and, more broadly, the military balance in the Western Pacific.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.