TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The military said Wednesday (Aug. 28) it would hold a meeting to evaluate the use of TOW missiles following reports that only seven of the 17 projectiles hit their target during drills this week.

The Aug. 26-27 tests in Pingtung County featured older TOW 2A anti-tank missiles launched by a new TOW 2B launcher mounted on an M1167 Humvee armored vehicle. Taiwan ordered 1,700 TOW 2B missiles and 100 launchers from the United States, with the missiles expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

The low success rate of the older generation of tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles provoked questions by reporters about the efficiency of the weapons system, per CNA. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the Tien Ma drills focused on familiarizing the officers with handling the missiles, with target accuracy secondary.

Next week's evaluation meeting will review the officers' training and the efficiency of the weapons and the ammunition. The aim of the meeting is not to penalize the soldiers involved, but to adjust and improve plans for next year’s edition of the annual Tien Ma exercises, the MND said.