TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – New conscripts practiced firing Kestrel missiles at a base in Tainan on Wednesday (Nov. 6) to improve their shooting skills.

Compulsory military service was lengthened from four months to one year beginning in January as Taiwan faces increased military threats from China. The first group of new conscripts has now reached the phase of their training for live-fire drills.

The exercises featured the use of rifles, grenade launchers, and mortars. Wednesday’s event, which was open to the media, saw the soldiers fire 48 rounds with the Kestrel, a shoulder-launched anti-armor rocket system developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute for Science and Technology (NCSIST).

As the systems are equipped with advanced optical sights, most of the conscripts hit their targets set up at a distance of 200 meters, per CNA. In one case, the rocket failed to launch, leading to a task force for unexploded ammunition to step in, with the problem being relegated to the NCSIST.

Conscripts are only allowed to fire the Kestrels after training and the awarding of a special license, the Army said. The exercises are designed to provide soldiers with practical experience using rockets against enemy armored targets.