At a sensitive test site, Taiwan practised intercepting enemy jets and weapons with missiles on Tuesday to increase its “combat effectiveness” in the face of a more assertive China.
Beijing has increased military pressure on Taiwan by deploying fighter jets, drones, and navy boats near the island and claiming self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.
Taiwan has steadily built up its defence capabilities in recent years, making big-ticket weapons purchases while increasing its defence budget to invest in military reforms and a homegrown arsenal.
On Tuesday, the military fired domestically made Sky Bow III and US-made Patriot II missiles into the sky from its Jiupeng base in southern Pingtung County.
It was the first time in over a decade that reporters were granted access to the base, home to the government-run National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which specializes in weapons development.
“All the missiles fired today hit their targets smoothly. So, it demonstrates… that the training of our officers and soldiers is very solid,” defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters.
At dawn, soldiers fired the two types of missiles into the sky as RIM-66 Standard missiles were fired from a frigate off the coast.
Col. Kao Shu-li of the Air Force’s air defence division said the exercise’s main goal was to enhance “the overall combat effectiveness of the force.”
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