Taiwan is advancing development of a long-range cruise missile, dubbed “carrier killer,” to reinforce its naval defenses.
Reports said the weapon could reach up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), enough to cover large parts of the South and East China Seas, including areas where China’s aircraft carriers operate.
The Ministry of National Defense described the missile as subsonic, building on the land-attack technology of older Hsiung Feng IIE missiles while also improving stealth.
Under Taiwan’s Defense Industry Development Act, around 80 radar components for the missile will be produced at a cost of roughly 40 million New Taiwan dollars ($1.3 million) over two years. These radars aim to improve target detection and reduce the risk of interception.
The defense ministry reportedly allocated 800 million New Taiwan dollars ($26 million) to begin building the new weapon.
Challenging Adversaries
China has not ruled out the use of force to take control of Taiwan, with Beijing ramping up naval drills near Taiwanese waters as a “warning.”
To counter this growing threat, the small island nation has been developing a range of asymmetric capabilities, with its “carrier killer” missile emerging as the latest tool to challenge China’s naval power.
Designed for stealth and extended range rather than speed, the missile can target vulnerable points on enemy ships beyond the reach of older models.
“If deployed in Taiwan, it could cover the East China Sea to the north and the South China Sea to the south, creating a vast kill zone against the Chinese navy,” an analyst at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research said.
