You Si Kun, President of Taiwan’s Legislative Assembly, or Yuan,
gave a speech on Taiwan Overseas Network where he stated that the country’s locally produced Yun
Feng supersonic cruise missile is capable of reaching Beijing.
In his speech, You warned the Chinese government to think twice before invading Taiwan,
reminding them Yun Feng supersonic cruise missile is a capability they won’t shy away from using.
You Si Kun said, “Taiwan is not invading China, but China should
take Taiwan’s ability to attack Beijing into consideration before launching an invasion”
The speech also indicated a growing desire in Taiwan
to develop a more self-sufficient military-industrial complex
so as to prepare more freely against a possible Chinese invasion attempt.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Taiwan's indigenous Yun Feng supersonic missile
is a terrifying prospect for China? Let's get started.
There is increasing concern that China may launch an offensive
on Taiwan since the world is focused on Ukraine.
China considers Taiwan as part of its territory
and is willing to bring it back into its fold even if it requires force.
China claims almost 90% of the South China Sea. It said that it has "indisputable
sovereignty" over the area. Vietnam, the Philippines,
Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have disputed these claims.
Taiwan Strait is part of the larger dispute of the South China Sea region.
Recently Chinese military officials have directly warned their U.S.
counterparts to avoid the Taiwan Strait, claiming it is not international waters.
The United States, along with the vast majority of the international community,
does not accept China’s claims in this regard.
This also comes as U.S. President Joe Biden recently vowed to defend Taiwan amid a crisis,
although the statement was walked back to a degree
and it seems the US will continue with its policy of maintaining ambiguity to keep China guessing.
Yun Feng
means Cloud Peak
Limited information is available regarding the missile.
The missile was developed by the NCSIST or National
Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
It is said to have a range of about 2,000 km or 1,240 miles.
Beijing is located around 1,150 miles from Taiwan.
It has a ramjet engine with a solid rocket booster capable of a speed of 1,030 m/s or Mach 3.
It can carry a semi-armor piercing high explosive and fragmentation warhead.
The missile is one of the few assets within Taiwan's arsenal
which can reach targets in the north and central People's Republic of China.
Development may have been started as far back as the Lee Teng-hui administration
but official reports of its existence did not surface until 2012.
Test flights of the Yun Feng were concealed within the HF-3 (Brave Wind) supersonic
anti-ship missile test flight program.
In 2016, the Ministry of National Defense
(MND) denied reports that the missile program was terminated.
This speculation was based on a belief that the project would be canceled as a
goodwill gesture toward China.
The missile was publicly acknowledged for the first time by defense minister
Chiu Kuo-cheng during a Legislative Yuan joint committee hearing in October 2021.
The missile is being upgraded to function as a satellite launch vehicle by National Chung-Shan
Institute of Science and Technology. This vehicle will be capable of delivering satellites
up to 200 kg or 440 lbs at a low earth orbit of around 500 kilometers or 310 miles
It is suspected that the upgrade program will extend the range
beyond the current 2000 km envelop, which puts Beijing well within its striking range.
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. The strait is 100 miles or 160 km wide.
Such an amphibious operation will be one of the most complicated ones
and Taiwan is looking to double down on that situation.
Taiwan is thought to be rigging these waters with mines
will make things exceptionally difficult for the Chinese military.
The country has even started inducting the new minelayers for this purpose.
To add to this, Taiwan is arming itself with HF-2
and HF-3 anti-ship missiles to take out Chinese warships.
Amphibious assaults would also need heavy buildup which removes chances of a surprise attack.
So, Taiwan has a natural defensive contour that will certainly be exploited.
Ukraine's dogged resistance and counter-attack have clearly
demonstrated that an invasion attempted can be fought back with asymmetric methods.
Taiwan will be using a similar template in case it faces a Chinese onslaught.
While Beijing dwarfs Taiwan when it comes to military hardware,
Taiwan is not a pushover. It is acquired many American assets
like F-16 and is in process of getting more than 100 M1A2T Abrams tanks.
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
reportedly began producing the first batch of 20 missiles and 10 mobile launchers in August 2019.
So, it is likely that a decent quantity of the missile and launchers have been manufactured.
With Yun Feng supersonic missile Taiwan has a way to hit
back at the Chinese mainland and this will be head-ace for China.