TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Military officials on Tuesday (Aug. 3) said the National Chung Shang Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has completed combat operational evaluations of an improved version of the Sky Sword II air-to-air missile.

Military officials said that NCSIST has increased the missile’s range from 60 km to 80 km under "Project Running Sword," which deters Chinese military aircraft from flying too close to Taiwan, CNA reported. They added that the Air Force will soon mass-produce this new variant of the Sky Sword missile to enhance the combat capability of its fleet of Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF).

NCSIST confirmed that project evaluations have been completed and that it can begin aiding in missile production. The Air Force Command stated that its acquisition of various weapon systems is always in accordance with the military’s development and restructuring plans and goes through rigorous testing to build an air defense force that meets the requirements of Taiwan’s defense operations.

IDFs are currently the main aircraft used by the Air Force to engage with Chinese military planes that intrude into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. They are mostly all stationed in Tainan and Taichung, with some IDFs taking turns to be deployed in Penghu from April to September each year, per CNA.