Taiwan is building up an enormous stockpile of missiles in preparation for war with China. These six are the most dangerous.
Taiwan’s National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST)—the country’s somewhat curiously named state-run arms manufacturer—has announced that it plans to produce 1,000 missiles per year on average between 2022 and 2026.
In 2022, in response to frustrating 18- to 29-month delays in missile orders from the United States, NCSIST was given USD $7.4 billion to develop missiles indigenously that would assist in the successful defense of the island from a pending Chinese invasion. Normally, a country seeking to develop an indigenous defense industrial base from scratch struggles to achieve such lofty goals. The materials and infrastructure needed to support an indigenous, robust, and therefore reliable defense industrial base are hard to come by.
Taiwan, however, is a unique case. Microchips and other electronic components like microchips are required for the production of advanced weaponry such as missiles. These components are notoriously difficult to acquire in large numbers, and because of that reality, most countries attempting to develop an indigenous missile capacity struggle to create it. However, since Taiwan is the seat of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing, it has a considerable advantage in this regard.
NCSIST produced more than 1,000 missiles at the end of 2024, and it is slated to continue along that pathway this year. In fact, according to Jonathan Harman of Global Taiwan Institute, the 2024 production level of Taiwanese missiles is two years ahead of schedule—an unthinkable production rate for American defense contractors. And thanks to increased automation in Taiwan’s production lines, the NCSIST has expanded to 16 mass production lines for multiple, important missile systems and drones. These include the Chien Hsiang suicide drone, the Wan Chien air-to-surface missile, the Hsiung Sheng surface-to-surface missile, the Tien Kung III air defense missile system, the Tien Chen II air-to-air missile, and the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM).
All these systems will be key for Taiwan stunting what many experts believe to be the pending Chinese invasion of the island-democracy.
Taiwan’s Chien Hsiang Suicide Drone Is Built to Take Out Chinese Radars
The Chien Hsiang system is an anti-radiation loitering munition that was first unveiled in 2017 at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition. It is meant to enhance Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, particularly in countering radar and air defense systems of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This system has a delta-wing configuration and resembles the Israeli ‘Harpy’ loitering munition. The drone is powered by a single gas engine with a pusher propeller at the rear.
In terms of range, the Chien Hsiang can travel up to 621 miles, meaning it can target radar stations along China’s southeastern coast or maritime assets. If Taiwan really wanted to mess with China, they could even supply forces on Matsu or Kinmen Islands with these drones and strike very deep within the Chinese mainland. The drone can loiter for up to five hours, enabling it to patrol and wait for targets to emit radar signals for it to hone into. Further, this drone reaches speeds between 310-373 miles per hour during its dive phase toward a target.
Taiwan’s Wan Chien Missile Could Wreak Havoc on an Invasion Force
Meaning “Ten Thousand Swords,” this air-to-surface, subsonic cruise missile is meant to enhance Taiwan’s long-range precision strike capabilities. Development of this lethal system began around the year 2000 under the codename “Project God’s Axe” and draws its inspiration from American systems, such as the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and the British and French Storm Shadow missiles that Ukraine is now using against Russia with wanton abandon.
Wan Chien has a range of around 124 to 149 miles. This is another Taiwanese system that can strike from outside most Chinese air defense systems along the southeastern coast. There is even an extended-range Wan Chien II missile under development that can lash out against Chinese threats as far as 249 miles away from their launch sites. These missiles travel at subsonic speeds of up to Mach 0.8 (609 mph), powered by a turbofan engine.
For guidance, Wan Chien employs an inertial navigation system (INS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) capability for mid-course navigation. Experts believe that the guidance system also includes a terminal seeker, possibly infrared or electro-optical, for precision targeting.
Its payload includes high-explosive, semi-armor piercing, or submunitions—also known as cluster warheads—with up to 100 bomblets, equipped with delayed fuses for penetrating hardened targets.
The Wan Chien is meant for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and precision strikes against high-value Chinese targets. Airfields, ports, missile and radar sites, and even troop concentrations are all possible targets of this system.
The Wan Chien could be fired either from Taiwan’s main island or its outlying territories such as the Penghu archipelago—bringing Chinese coastal targets within range.
The Hsiung Sheng Surface-to-Surface Missile Is the Backbone of Taiwan’s Missile Force
This long-range cruise missile, translating to “Brave Ascent,” is an extended-range variant of Taiwan’s Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) missiles that is designed to hit distant Chinese targets. This subsonic long-range cruise missile with a cylindrical body, blunt nose, rear pop-out wings, and tail-end fins resembles an American Tomahawk cruise missile.
There are three variants of this system. The baseline HF-2E is meant for hitting coastal targets in China, such as Fujian (a region that will be used as a major staging area for any potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan). That can travel anywhere between 310 to 435 miles.
The next variant, the extended-range model, can reach as far as Wuhan, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Nanjing. Officially, its range is between 621-746 miles—although some sources claim it can travel up to 932 miles away from its launch site with additional fuel and a redesigned engine.
A third variant is under development with the astonishing intended range of 3,100 miles, meaning much of China will be a target. Hsiung Sheng long-range cruise missiles can travel between 571 to 647 mph using a solid rocket booster for initial launch, then employing a Kunpeng turbofan engine for sustained flight, optimized for fuel efficiency in the extended-range variant.
For its guidance, the Hsiung Sheng employs an INS/GPS system for mid-course flight and a Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) system for navigation over long distances. During its terminal phase of flight, it activates an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker with autonomous digital target recognition (Digital Scene-Matching Area Correlation, DSMAC) for precision strikes. Hsiung Sheng cruises at very low altitude—roughly 50 to 100 feet above ground—to evade radar, climbing just before the final plunge to acquire targets and avoid any obstacles.
Targets for this system would include command posts and bunkers to disrupt Chinese leadership, airfields to disable runways and paralyze Chinese air operations directed against Taiwan, and logistics hubs and supply depots to delay an invasion of the island.
The Tien Kung III Air Defense System Protects the Skies Over Taiwan
The Tien Kung III system, often abbreviated TK III, is a cornerstone of Taiwan’s robust air defense network, designed to counter a wide range of aerial threats, including Chinese fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, anti-radiation missiles, and short-range tactical ballistic missiles (SRBMs). This system will factor heavily into Taiwan’s defensive strategy once a Chinese invasion gets underway against the democratic island.
TK III fires a vertically launched missile with four tail fins and a directional warhead with high-energy fragments for high single-shot kill probability. The missile uses advanced ceramics and carbon filters, with a nose cone resistant temperatures 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit.
Its range is between 28-124 miles, though effective range is often cited at 43 miles for extended-range variants. The interceptors fired by the TK III can travel up to Mach 7, or around 5,328 mph—nearly twice the speed of the vaunted American Patriot PAC-3 air defense system, and far faster than almost any prospective air target. TK III utilizes INS with uplink target information from the launcher for midcourse flight while an active radar guidance with a microwave seeker in the nose for high-accuracy navigation is initiated during the terminal phase.
A ship-based variant was successfully tested in 2016 and is planned for Taiwan’s next-generation frigates and destroyers. The TK IIIs are meant to counter China’s growing arsenal of more than 600 SRBMs and advanced munitions like the Dongfeng-17s (which can fly beyond the TK IIIs current ceiling).
Taiwan’s Fighter Jets Can Use the Tien Chen II Air-to-Air Missile
The purpose of the Tien Chen II, or TC-2, is to provide Taiwanese defenders with a beyond-visual-range (BVR) capability to counter China’s aircraft (notably against the Chinese Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” and the Shenyang J-16), drones, and missiles. Its active radar guidance and multi-target engagement rival the US AIM 120 AMRAAM missile, while its significantly lower cost than the AIM-120 supports Taiwan’s self-reliance.
TC-2 is a sleek, cylindrical missile with a pulse Doppler radar seeker and folding wings in some variants. It features an INS, mid-course datalink, and active radar homing for terminal guidance, enabling a fire-and-forget capability. The baseline model has a range of 37 miles while the TC-2C (Extended Range) can travel up to 62 miles out from its point of origin. As for the speed, the baseline model goes around 3,045 mph and the TC-2C travels around 4,587 mph.
The Hsiung Feng III Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Keeps Taiwan’s Shores Safe
The HF-3 is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) with both anti-ship and land-attack capabilities. The Hsiung Feng III is not a ballistic missile, as it does not follow a high-altitude ballistic trajectory; instead, it cruises at low altitudes with an Integrated Rocket Ramjet (IRR) engine, using a combined solid-fuel booster with a liquid-fueled ramjet for sustained supersonic cruise.
HF-3 is a cylindrical missile with four inlet ducts and four clipped delta control surfaces. The baseline HF-3 model travels between 75-124 miles while the HF-3ER (Extended-Range) travels up to 249 miles from its launch site. HF-3 travels at a speed between 1,905-2,667 mph. This is a low-altitude, sea-skimming missile that is designed to evade radar with terminal maneuvers to avoid any air defenses it might encounter.
The HF-3 will counter any Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, and amphibious landing craft, along with coastal defenses or infrastructure on the Chinese mainland.
Taiwan Is Turning Itself Into a Fortress
To be clear, Taiwan will be the immense underdog in any fight with China. But Taipei is doing its best to make itself impossible for its far larger neighbor to swallow. Thanks to Taiwan’s place as the world’s leading producer of semiconductors and other micro-electrics, Taipei has ensured that it has a fighting chance to repel any Chinese invasion—at least for a while.
The systems discussed above will be key to stopping a Chinese attack. And Taiwan has ensured they will have a large number of these systems on hand. China should think twice before invading the island.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Ricky kuo.
