The Haigong III is modified from the land-based Tiangong III anti-aircraft missile. Its maximum combat range reaches 200 kilometers and its maximum flight speed exceeds Mach 4. The picture shows the air defense force of the Air Force firing Tiangong III missiles during a precision ammunition shooting exercise this month. (Photo: Provided by Military News Agency)
[Reporter Luo Tianbin/Reporting from Taipei] The "Hai Gong III" ship-borne anti-aircraft missile independently developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has passed combat testing when launched using the domestic Huayang vertical launch system. Its excellent interception performance can effectively counter the threats of missiles and fighter jets from the Communist Army. However, this new generation of weapon, which is hailed as a weapon to protect the airspace across the Taiwan Strait, is currently in the embarrassing situation of "the technology is completely passed, but there are no warships to install it." Due to the temporary changes in the Navy's major shipbuilding plans in recent years, this powerful domestically produced missile is faced with the dilemma of having missiles and vertical launch tubes, but unable to find a main warship to serve at sea.
The Haigong III is modified from the land-based Tiangong III anti-aircraft missile. Its maximum combat range reaches 200 kilometers and its maximum flight speed exceeds Mach 4. In comparison, the US-made Standard Type II (SM-2) missiles equipped by the Keelung-class destroyers currently in service in the Chinese Navy have a range of only 160 kilometers and a speed of about Mach 2.5. The Haigong III not only has a range that is 40 kilometers longer than the standard II model, but also has a cross-generation "active radar guidance" technology. After launch, the missile will lock on to the target on its own. It does not need to rely heavily on the command of the warship illumination radar like the standard II type, which greatly improves the combat capability against saturation attacks at sea.
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The "Hai Gong III" ship-borne anti-aircraft missile independently developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has passed operational evaluation when launched using the China-made Huayang vertical launch system. The picture shows the "Haijian-2 missile video" previously released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which includes the vertical launch test process. (Extracted from the video of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Since its performance completely overwhelms the standard Type II missiles currently in service, why has the Haigong III been unable to enter mass production so far? A retired naval general analyzed today and pointed out that the core reason lies in the policy change of the Navy's shipbuilding project. Originally, the Navy had a budget of NT$24.5 billion, planning to build a 4,500-ton "new generation missile frigate" prototype ship, and expected to install the Haigong-3 and Huayang vertical launch systems on this warship. However, due to the increasingly urgent need for asymmetric operations in the Taiwan Strait, the Navy subsequently changed its plan and transferred the entire budget of NT$24.5 billion to prioritize the construction of two 2,500-ton "new generation light frigates."
He said that the "big car turned into a small car" in this construction project directly led to the deployment crisis of Haigong San. Because of the relatively large size and weight of the Haigong-3 anti-aircraft missile, the bow deck space and bomb bay depth of the Chenggong-class and Kangding-class warships currently in service, as well as the light frigates under construction, simply cannot accommodate it. In order to adapt to small-tonnage warships, the Navy currently has no choice but to do the next best thing in the Kangding-class upgrade project and new light frigates. It is to load the vertical launch tube with smaller "Hai Jian II" medium-range anti-aircraft missiles that can fit four into a single tube. This has temporarily deprived the highly anticipated Hai Gong III, which can carry out long-range interception, of the tactical stage of boarding the ship.
The National Army displayed a new generation missile frigate model at the "Taipei International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition" many years ago, but after many years, the configuration and design should be adjusted again. (File photo, taken by reporter Fang Bin)
However, Haigong San’s road to mass production has not been cut off. The Navy has officially launched this year this year a design tender for the "Jihai Project" new-generation main combat ship with a displacement of up to 7,000 tons. This new giant ship, known as "Taiwan's Little Aegis", has clearly required in the specifications that it must be equipped with a Huayang vertical launch system with up to 64 tubes. The military expects that when the construction of this large warship with sufficient tonnage and space officially starts, the Chinese Academy of Sciences will restart the production line of Hai Gong III. Before the new warships come into force in the future, the Navy can only rely on spending NT$3.278 billion (approximately US$102 million) to maintain and extend the life of the standard Type-2 missiles, while patiently waiting for the day when the most powerful domestically produced anti-aircraft missiles can really show off their capabilities.
