Taiwan starts deploying HF-2 and HF-3 anti-ship missiles in response to China's largest naval exercise.

As reported by the Liberty Times on April 4, 2025, the Taiwanese Navy deployed Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) and Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles to multiple locations across the Hengchun Peninsula in southern Taiwan. This action followed a significant multi-service military exercise east of Taiwan, designated Strait Thunder 2025A, conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command. These drills were characterized by the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense as a direct military provocation. In response, Taiwan initiated an immediate combat readiness exercise, during which missile launch platforms were raised and placed on alert across various sites in the southern region.
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Hengchun Peninsula has previously served as a focal area for missile deployments during periods of heightened cross-strait tensions, and the reactivation of this area for missile emplacement is consistent with past Taiwanese military responses. (Picture source: Facebook/Taiwan ADIZ)

According to the Taiwan-based Taiwan ADIZ monitoring platform, at least two HF-2 and two HF-3 mobile launchers were observed on the morning of April 2, 2025, with launchers camouflaged under a tarpaulin. These systems were reportedly positioned in a triangular formation to increase defensive coverage. Hengchun Peninsula has previously served as a focal area for missile deployments during periods of heightened cross-strait tensions, and the reactivation of this area for missile emplacement is consistent with past Taiwanese military responses to PLA operations.

The HF-2 missile, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), has been operational since the early 1990s and is deployed from fixed coastal batteries, mobile truck-mounted launchers, and naval surface vessels. The missile uses a solid-propellant booster and a turbojet engine, reaches speeds of approximately Mach 0.85, and has a range of 160 km for Block I and up to 250 km for Block II. The missile's guidance system combines inertial navigation with terminal active radar and infrared homing seekers. It is equipped with a 180 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead designed to detonate after hull penetration.

The HF-2 is fielded aboard various ROC Navy vessels, including the Cheng Kung-class and Kang Ding-class frigates, Jin Chiang-class patrol ships, and Kuang Hua VI-class fast attack craft. An air-launched version was developed for integration with the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), although it was never formally adopted. A submarine-launched version was also designed but did not enter service. The mobile coastal defense version entered mass production in 2006, following acceptance trials in 2005. These mobile systems, supported by command centers and search radars, remain stationed in hardened shelters and can be deployed in short notice.

A distinct missile system, the HF-2E land-attack cruise missile, is not a derivative of the HF-2 despite its designation. Developed separately and operational since 2011, it features GPS and TERCOM-based guidance, with reported ranges between 600 km and 2,000 km depending on the variant. The baseline HF-2E carries a 200 kg warhead and is primarily deployed on mobile launch platforms. The improved Hsiung Sheng version, delivered to Taiwan’s Air Force in 2021, is intended to reach distant targets such as military sites in Chinese cities. The HF-2E’s development dates back to 2001, with testing conducted at Jiupeng missile range. Production is ongoing under the broader Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan.

The HF-2 missile, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), has been operational since the early 1990s and is deployed from fixed coastal batteries, mobile truck-mounted launchers, and naval surface vessels. (Picture source: NCSIST)

The HF-3 is a supersonic missile developed by NCSIST beginning in 1994. It is powered by a solid booster and strap-on rockets for initial acceleration and a liquid-fuel ramjet for sustained cruise, achieving speeds up to Mach 3.5. It uses an inertial navigation system mid-course and active radar homing in the terminal phase. Its warhead weighs 225 kg and contains self-forging fragments triggered by a smart fuse that concentrates explosive force inside the target hull. Initial operational testing was completed by 2005, and the missile was publicly revealed in October 2007.

The HF-3 is deployed on Cheng Kung- and Kang Ding-class frigates, Jin Chiang-class patrol vessels, Tuo Chiang-class corvettes, and road-mobile launchers. The missile is capable of evasive terminal maneuvers and sea-skimming flight paths to reduce interception probability. In 2019, President Tsai Ing-wen authorized accelerated production. Production rates increased from 20 to 70 units annually starting in 2018, and an extended-range variant, reportedly capable of exceeding 400 km, entered testing under the P’an Lung project. These developments are funded by a multi-year special budget of NT$228.9 billion under the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan, covering missile production through 2026.

In February and March 2025, sightings confirmed that the air-launched variant of the HF-3, referred to as the Hsiung Chih, had entered flight testing on the F-CK-1 IDF fighter. This version is lighter, under 900 kg, and features a streamlined airframe with modified propulsion and guidance systems. It is expected to reach ranges between 120 and 150 km. Testing images showed prototypes labeled AX-002 undergoing taxi trials and subsequent flights with two missiles mounted on an F-CK-1A MLU aircraft. The air-launched HF-3 is part of a broader effort to expand operational flexibility of Taiwan’s missile forces.

With ranges from 600 km to over 2,000 km, the HF-2E land-attack cruise missile uses a turbofan engine and a combination of GPS, inertial guidance, and imaging infrared seekers. (Picture source: UDN)

The current HF-2 and HF-3 inventories are estimated to form a large portion of Taiwan’s stockpile of approximately 1,200 anti-ship missiles, alongside U.S.-made Harpoon variants. Taiwan’s Coast Guard has also integrated HF-2 and HF-3 missile launch capabilities on the 600-ton Anping-class patrol vessels, using a modular configuration that allows for wartime conversion. In May 2022, an Anping-class vessel conducted its first HF-2 missile test launch. The HF-3 may be tested from the same platform during the Han Kuang exercise cycle. In March 2023, Taiwan confirmed that improved HF-2 variants had been distributed to five Tuo Chiang-class ships and new mobile units, with total production exceeding 200 units.

HF-2 missiles are manufactured at a joint production facility with the Hsiung Sheng missile. Following the completion of a new plant in June 2022, the combined annual output increased from 81 to 131 missiles. In 2023, reports indicated continued development of the HF-2 Block IIB variant. Technical upgrades have improved electronic counter-countermeasures, expanded engagement envelopes, and introduced automation for targeting and command interfaces. The missile design includes modular sections—guidance, warhead, propulsion, and booster—with the propulsion based on a reverse-engineered turbojet engine derived from the Israeli Sorek-4. The first generation of this engine was acquired in the early 1980s, and local manufacturing capability was established by 1993 after export restrictions.

The HF-2E development was intentionally misnamed to obscure its role as a land-attack cruise missile. It entered production after a series of tests between 2004 and 2007. With ranges from 600 km to over 2,000 km, the missile uses a turbofan engine and a combination of GPS, inertial guidance, and imaging infrared seekers. The missile follows terrain-hugging routes and executes vertical dives onto targets during the terminal phase. Unit costs were estimated at $3.08 million (2003 USD), and the total production quantity remains undisclosed. Deployment is limited to mobile ground-based launchers housed in hardened shelters.

The HF-3 is a supersonic missile capable of evasive terminal maneuvers and sea-skimming flight paths to reduce interception probability. (Picture source: NCSIST)