TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has reportedly produced 100 Hsiung Sheng surface-to-surface missiles with a range of up to 1,200 kilometers.
An unnamed senior military official told Liberty Times on Saturday that the Hsiung Sheng missile system has already completed its initial mass production phase.
The official reportedly said that several countries, including the US and Japan, are working to extend the range of their long-range cruise missiles. For instance, new variants of the US Tomahawk cruise missile reach up to 1,600 km.
The official was quoted as saying the production model of the Hsiung Sheng missile has a range of 1,200 km, and National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology researchers are working to push this further. “Naturally, the goal is the range of the latest US and Japanese missiles.”
The mass production project for the Hsiung Sheng system falls under the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan Purchase Special Regulations, with funding of NT$16.9 billion (US$564 million). It covers the production of two missile variants between 2022 and 2025.
It includes upgrades to the software and hardware of two command and control centers. The two variants are a high-explosive warhead designed to strike command posts and bunkers, and a cluster munition warhead intended to damage or disable enemy airstrips.
In addition, the Air Force operates two variants of the Hsiung Feng IIE. The A variant has a range of 500 km, while the B variant extends to 1,000 km.
They use different engines, with the B variant powered by a turbofan engine for longer-range and fuel-efficient flight. The turbofan engine propulsion system was developed under the Kunpeng Project.
The A variant completed test launches in 2004, and the B variant followed in 2007. Both variants have been produced in batches and are in service with a special missile brigade under the Air Force.
To ensure the Hsiung Sheng remains combat-ready the Air Force has allocated a budget of NT$8.38 billion for a 15-year reassessment and evaluation project for the system, to be conducted by NCSIST from 2025 to 2036.
