The Ministry of National Defense expands joint precision ammunition shooting exercises, and Haima and Patriot III are temporarily not included in the live ammunition list

During this year's Han Kuang 42 exercise, the Patriot missile company crossed from Kaohsiung to reinforce Hualien. (File photo, taken by reporter Yu Tailang)

[Reporter Luo Tianbin/Reporting from Taipei] The Ministry of National Defense will expand its joint precision ammunition shooting exercise next week. Various types of anti-aircraft, anti-ship missiles and rockets, and attack drones will be fired with live ammunition. But will the "Haimas" tactical missile with a range of up to 300 kilometers and the "Patriot III missile", which is the mainstay of air defense in European and American countries, appear on this live-fire shooting list? According to the latest news and strategic assessment within the military, these two iconic US-made weapons "should not appear" in this live-fire exercise.

Regarding the "Haimas Multiple Launch Rocket System", military sources pointed out today that this weapon, which became famous in the Ukraine-Russia War, has recently completed its "first live firing" in Taiwan by the 58th Artillery Section of the Army's 10th Regiment on Jiana Beach in Taichung. However, at that time, the troops launched "precision-guided rockets (GMLRS)" with a range of about 70 kilometers, not the "Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)" with a range of up to 300 kilometers. Although this batch of tactical missiles, which can directly cross the sea to suppress enemy inland bases, has arrived in Taiwan and been assigned to the troops for service, because the range is too long and involves highly sensitive airspace control and strategic considerations, the military is still actively evaluating and planning, and is not expected to be officially included in exercises in the future.

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The first batch of 64 tactical missiles sold by the United States to Taiwan with a range of up to 300 kilometers have been delivered to my country. However, in terms of live-fire firing, the military still plans to conduct live-fire firing in overseas areas based on considerations such as avoiding the leakage of important parameters. The picture shows the Ukrainian armed forces successfully using the ATACMS tactical missile system assisted by the United States to carry out precise strikes against military targets in Russia. (Picture: taken from Lockheed Martin’s official website)

As for the "Patriot III (PAC-3) anti-aircraft missile", military sources said that unless the United States nods, it will not appear in this live-fire exercise. There are two very practical reasons, he said. The first is "anti-electronic reconnaissance." Aisan is Taiwan's trump card for intercepting ballistic missiles. Its electronic parameters and radar signals are top secret. If it is publicly launched around the Taiwan Strait, it will be easily intercepted and collected by electronic reconnaissance aircraft or intelligence ships deployed on the other side. The second reason is "cost considerations." A single Aisan missile costs hundreds of millions of New Taiwan dollars. In normal times, if it wants to conduct live-munition inspections, the Chinese military will most likely go to the White Sands missile training ground in the United States to conduct it secretly, so as not to leak secrets.

Although these two ace tactical missiles cannot be shown this time, the precision ammunition shooting this time is still full of highlights. It is planned to shoot Patriot II and Tiangong III anti-aircraft missiles, Xiongfeng II and III anti-ship missiles (the extended range Xiongsan is not excluded), Haima It will also launch the Xiongfeng series anti-ship missiles in this exercise, demonstrating the joint combat capabilities of the national army and the coast guard in wartime.

Military sources emphasized that whether it is the precision rocket shooting of Haimas or the air defense interception and maritime killing of various types of air defense and anti-ship missiles, the type of precision ammunition drills has evolved from the step-by-step "scripted drills" in the past to the current "immediate war preparation mode." Through repeated live ammunition tempering, the military directly brought troops to the scene to face the test of real battlefields. If Haimas tactical missiles are added to the live-fire shooting project in the future, the "asymmetric combat" combat capability of the national army to counter enemy source strikes will become more complete and solid.