TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – With full-scale production scheduled to start next year, Taiwan plans to manufacture more than 100 Sky Bow IV missiles, reports said Saturday.

The new anti-air missiles can intercept targets at altitudes of up to 70 kilometers, higher than the US-supplied Patriot PAC-3 missiles, the Liberty Times reported. The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology is working on the new missiles under the “Strong Bow Project” moniker.

The military plans to procure 46 Sky Bow IV missiles next year, and 76 in 2028. Precise figures for the cost of the project are expected to become known later in August, when the Ministry of National Defense submits budget proposals to the Legislative Yuan.

Their predecessor, the Sky Bow III, can hit incoming enemy missiles at a maximum altitude of 45 km, but production is expected to wind down by the end of this year. A related extended-range version dubbed Strong Bow IIA will intercept missiles up to 100 km, while the Strong Bow IIB is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a maximum range of 1,000 km.