TAIPEI: Taiwan has for the first time deployed cruise missiles capable of striking key military bases along the southeast coast of the Chinese mainland, local media reported yesterday.
Mass production of the Taiwan-made ‘Hsiungfeng’ (Brave Wind) 2E, which have a range of 500 kilometres, has been completed and the missiles have come into service, the Liberty Times said, citing an unnamed military source.
The defence ministry declined to comment on the report, but the paper said the project, codenamed ‘Chichun’ (Lance Hawk), had cost the military around US$1.02 billion.
Taiwanese experts estimate that China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, has more than 1,600 missiles aimed at the island.
“To some extent, the weaponry can serve as a deterrent,” Kevin Cheng, the editor-in-chief of the Taipei-based Asia-Pacific Defence Magazine, told AFP.
“In case of war in the Taiwan Strait, the missiles could be used to attack the airports and other military bases of the People’s Liberation Army.” — AFP