On August
16, an article by United Daily News
(UDN) revealed that the Taiwanese Air Force had executed a drill earlier on the same day,
involving the launch of an indigenous Hsiung Feng or HF-IIE surface-to-surface cruise missile.
Accompanying the report were images that the newspaper described as depicting the
HF-2E missile. According to UDN, the missile remained airborne for several
hours after its launch from Jiupeng military base in Pingtung County.
The missile, purportedly in active service within the Taiwanese military for more than a decade,
has remained concealed from the public eye throughout this period.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes how Taiwan’s secretive Hsiung Feng-IIE missile could
thwart attempts of Chinese invasion ? Let’s get started.
Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency (CNA), in a separate article, cited an undisclosed
military source who informed them that the Air Force launched a classified missile on August 16.
However, Su Tzu-yun, a government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security
Research (INDSR) scholar, told CNA that the missile in question was indeed the HF-IIE.
This exercise was a crucial element of a continuous three-day live-fire exercise conducted
in waters near Pingtung's Jioupeng military base, spanning from August 15 to August 17.
It is evident that this missile constitutes a
discreet element of Taiwan’s counter-strike capabilities.
The latest report does not offer significant new insights into the Hsiung Feng-IIE,
a missile that remains veiled in limited official information.
This missile is identified as a ground-launched land-attack cruise missile,
showcasing a design reminiscent of the US Tomahawk in both structure and operation.
Taiwan's military embarked on the development of the HF-IIE missile in the early 2000s;
however, the existence of this missile remained undisclosed until March 2022,
when it was mentioned in a report submitted to lawmakers for evaluation.
According to the report, the extended-range version of the HF-IIE possesses the
capability to engage targets as distant as 1,200 km or 745 miles ; nevertheless,
the military has refrained from releasing any photographic or video evidence of the missile.
Although the Ministry of National Defense's report did not specify the
exact count of HF-IIE missiles produced thus far, it did outline plans for the
annual combined production of 131 HF-2 anti-ship missiles and HF-IIE missiles starting in 2024.
As per reports, the missile launchers will be based in hardened shelters at
military installations, with deployment to remote, pre-surveyed launch sites during alert situations.
The Hsiung Feng IIE is developed by the
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).
It is thought to have a length of 6.0 m, a body diameter of 0.50 m,
and a launch weight of 980 kg or 2160 lbs.
Despite its name, the Hsiung Feng IIE does not appear to be derived from the Hsiung Feng II,
but rather a different line of design entirely.
The HF-2E missile's cruising speed is high subsonic, typically in the Mach 0.75 – Mach 0.85.
The missile carries a single warhead of approximately 200 kg or 440 lbs.
The HF-2E carries either a unitary or fragmentation warhead.
The unitary high explosive warhead is designed to target bunkers and
command centers while the fragmentation warhead is designed to target airfields.
Constructed on a mobile land platform, the missile relies on a solid-fueled booster and
a liquid-fueled turbojet engine for propulsion. Its trajectory is guided using INS/GPS systems,
while its precision is heightened through terrain-matching technology.
According to some experts, the missile is believed to possess a pre-terminal
accuracy of approximately 15 meters Circular Error Probable (CEP). Additionally, reports suggest that
the missile may incorporate an imaging infrared seeker, a feature aimed at enhancing its accuracy.
This advancement aligns with capabilities observed in other
land attack cruise missiles like the US AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM),
Storm Shadow, and more recent variants of the Tomahawk missile.
When the missile approaches hostile territory, it would descend to
an altitude of about 15–30 m (49–98 ft). On its final approach to its target, the missile
would climb up to avoid any physical barriers and to allow its IIR seeker to acquire the
target and identify an optimal aim point before plunging down onto the designated impact point.
Last year, Chinese leader Xi said on the opening day of the week-long
key once-in-a-five-year Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC),
"We will not renounce the use of force and will
take all necessary measures to stop all separatist movements" in Taiwan.
This disclosure aligns with a period of increased unease, as mounting anxieties
revolve around the potential for Chinese military involvement in Taiwan in the foreseeable future.
Discussions concerning the potential for a Chinese incursion across the Taiwan Strait
have garnered attention, emphasizing the evolving dynamics in the region.
While the exact details of the missile's capabilities remain uncertain,
the potential unveiling of the HF-IIE to the public signifies a noteworthy advancement.
The inclusion of this extended-range missile also offers insights into
Taiwan's strategic initiatives to tackle potential threats from China.
If this missile is produced in large numbers,
it could enable Taiwan to knock out China’s military infrastructure at an opportune time
like when the PLA seems poised to most an assault or has just initiated the invasion.
Viewers may note that in this context that, China is separated from Taiwan
through Taiwan Strait and China will have to move its forces across the
strait in case it decides to invade and a major amphibious operation is very hard to pull off.