TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 21st Artillery Command of the Sixth Army Corps is scheduled to conduct a live-fire drill of surface-launched Sky Sword II missiles in April.
The command, stationed at Jiupeng Base in Pingtung County, plans to fire three of the missiles and carry out a target tracking exercise each year beginning next month, Liberty Times reported. It will use target drones from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
The ground-based Sky Sword II missile was developed by NCSIST and derived from the air-to-air variant, carried by Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Fighters. The missile has a range of up to 15 kilometers and is useful for countering threats from fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, drones, and certain cruise missiles.
The drills will coincide with the Army’s Kinmen Defense Command live-fire drills on the outlying islands of Kinmen, Lieyu, Menghu, and Houyu, which will also be held next month.
The increased frequency of drills comes as Taiwan prepares for its annual Han Kuang military exercise. The computer simulation portion of the exercise will last for eight days beginning April 19, while the live-fire portion will span five days starting July 22.
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) confirmed earlier this month that U.S. military personnel will be invited to this year’s war games.