TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Chung Shan Institute for Science and Technology confirmed that its Sea Oryx missile system completed operational evaluations in October.

NCSIST said the system was installed on a naval ship and struck target drones, CNA reported. The Navy will proceed with case proposals and formally move into mass production soon, the institute said. However, it declined to comment on mass production and deployment due to the sensitivity of defense-related matters.

The Sea Oryx system is intended to serve as the final line of shipboard air defense, per CNA. The system has three variants: a 12-cell launcher for small combat vessels; a 24-cell launcher for medium and large vessels; and a land-based 24-cell launcher paired with a mobile radar vehicle. 

The system has an operational range of about 15 kilometers and uses CL-20 high-energy explosives for its warhead, which is classified as a national core critical technology.