The Taiwanese Air Force on Thursday, January 16 unveiled a new air-to-ground cruise missile that could play a major role in any military confrontation with China.
Known as the Wan Chien, or “Ten Thousands Swords,” the cruise missile was developed by the military-run Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST). Although serial production is not expected to begin until 2015, the missile is believed to have entered service on Aerospace Industrial Development Corp’s (AIDC) F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) following a mid-life upgrade program.
Thursday’s ceremony, held at Tainan Air Force Base in Southern Taiwan, marked the completion of the Hsiang-Chan Project — a mid-life upgrade for the 71 IDFs in the 443rd Tactical Fighter Wing, based in Tainan. Another 56 IDFs, part of the 427th Tactical Fighter Wing in Taichung, are also expected to undergo upgrades starting this year, a project that is scheduled for completion in 2017. By then, all 127 IDFs will be Wan Chien-capable.
The Wan Chien joins a number of weapons acquired or produced by Taiwan in recent years that are considered offensive in nature, such as CSIST’s Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) land-attack cruise missile (LACM), which has entered serial production, and the submarine-launched Harpoon UGM-84L cruise missiles the Taiwanese Navy received in late 2013 (the “L” designates the capability to attack littoral targets, including port infrastructure, power grids, and military staging grounds). Despite relative improvements in relations between Taipei and Beijing since the election of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008, the Taiwanese military has persevered in its efforts to procure or develop the means to attack targets in China (the ground-launched HF-2E has an estimated range of 650 km).
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