HIMARS fired off west coast in live-fire drill

The military yesterday conducted a live-fire exercise of the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems （HIMARS）, simulating cross-regional precision strikes from the Dajia River （大甲溪） estuary in Taichung to demonstrate rapid deployment and battlefield reinforcement capabilities.

It marks the first firing of HIMARS on the west coast of Taiwan, as the military test fired the precision weapon for the first time last year off its east coast.

The army’s 10th Corps continued its second day of heavy artillery and new weapon system exercises yesterday, carrying out live-fire drills with HIMARS, 15mm howitzers, and M109A2 and M110A2 self-propelled artillery.

The 58th Artillery Command deployed three HIMARS on each side of the Dajia River, with each launcher carrying six M28 reduced-range rockets.

The exercise involved three firing waves, with each HIMARS firing two rockets per wave.

Across all six launchers, a total of 12 rockets were fired per wave, amounting to 36 rockets over the three waves, with impact points in waters 9km offshore.

Yesterday’s exercise simulated providing cross-regional fire support against high-value enemy targets in northern areas, with the aim of disrupting enemy advances, the 10th Corps said.

It demonstrated the advantages of rapid deployment, precision strike capability and cross-regional reinforcement, while enhancing the fire support capacity of ground forces and effectively deterring enemy incursions, the army said.

It also demonstrated the HIMARS’ mobility and ability to “shoot-and-scoot,” or withdraw after firing to avoid being locked onto by enemy radar, to improve battlefield survivability, the military said.

While the exercise was scheduled to fire 36 rockets, a total of 32 rockets were actually fired, Colonel Weng Yi-ming （翁一銘）, chief of staff of the 58th Artillery Command, said.

Two rockets failed to ignite on the north bank and two more misfired on the south bank, Weng said, adding that the cause of the malfunctions is under investigation.

The beaches and mud flats on Taiwan’s west coast are seen as the most likely location for an attempted landing by the Chinese military in the event of an invasion.

Taiwan’s military is increasing its asymmetric capabilities with powerful, mobile weapons such as HIMARS to turn the nation into a “porcupine” that is hard to attack and could survive a Chinese assault.

With a range of about 300km, HIMARS could strike coastal targets in China’s southeastern province of Fujian on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.