TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Information about Hsiung Feng III missile operations passed on to China by two Air Force officers would not be that useful, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Thursday.

The Taiwan High Court in Taichung is dealing with the case, which involves a retired major and a serving Air Force Combat Command intercept controller, in a closed session, according to reports Wednesday. The classified information they supplied to China covered training and the deployment of the supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles on fighter jets.

Koo told legislators Thursday the information was of limited practical use, as it was mostly scholarly research dating back to before the research and development phase of the Hsiung Feng III. He added that the case of the two officers had come to light in January 2023, thanks to revelations made by soldiers, per CNA.

The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, which developed the missiles, said the leaks would have no practical impact, as the documents dated from before the project advanced. Research on the version of the missile for Indigenous Defense Fighters started in 2022, and is still in its testing stage.

Koo acknowledged the defense ministry needed to take more action to review the background of officers allowed to view sensitive information, in addition to strengthening its counterintelligence education.