Taiwan test fires land attack cruise missile

ncsist.org.tw

Taiwan test fires land attack cruise missile ... | Taiwan News: 

The Yun Feng land attack cruise missile has range of 1,500 km, able to reach inner China
  
By Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

2020/04/27 12:06

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has reportedly test-fired a new missile capable of striking targets within inner China, which will soon enter mass production.

The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is said to have fired a slew of mid-range missiles and rockets earlier this month at the Jiupeng (九鵬) military base in Pingtung, the southernmost county of Taiwan, wrote UDN.

The tests are believed to have included the Yun Feng (雲峰) 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.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a senior analyst at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said 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.

NCSIST has declined to comment on reports of the missile tests, citing the sensitivity of the matter, wrote CNA.


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