Taiwan has initiated the deployment of its newest and most precise strike weapons, high-calibre rockets from the United States, as part of its annual live-fire drills aimed at enhancing the island’s ability to counter potential attacks from China.
On Saturday, two armoured trucks with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) were observed manoeuvring around the city of Taichung near Taiwan’s central coast, marking the fourth day of the 10-day Han Kuang exercise, the island’s most comprehensive annual military drill.
According to Military spokesperson Colonel Chen Lian-jia, concealing the HIMARS from enemy aerial reconnaissance, satellites, “or even enemy operatives behind our lines” until the order to fire is given would be crucial in wartime.
The drills are designed to demonstrate Taiwan’s determination to defend itself against any Chinese attack, with senior Taiwanese military officials stating that the exercises are unscripted and intended to replicate full combat conditions, starting with simulated enemy attacks and invasion scenarios.
Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te emphasized that the exercises are being conducted based on “large-scale, realistic combat drills”. The drills aim to show China and the international community, including the US, that Taiwan is determined to defend itself against any Chinese attack. China, however, has dismissed the drills as “nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick”, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterating its opposition to US-Taiwan military ties as “consistent and very firm”.
The HIMARS units, with a range of approximately 300km (190 miles), have the potential to strike coastal targets in China’s southern province of Fujian. Taiwan received the first 11 of the 29 HIMARS units last year and tested them for the first time in May.
While the United States is bound by law to consider threats to Taiwan as a “major concern”, it remains unclear whether Washington would deploy forces to counter a possible Chinese attack under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Regional military attaches are closely watching the HIMARS deployment, given their extensive use by Ukraine against Russian forces. Australian has also purchased the Lockheed Martin systems, and Taiwanese military analysts believe the HIMARS would be used in conjunction with locally developed Thunderbolt 2000 launchers to target Chinese forces as they leave port or attempt to land on Taiwan’s coast.