TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The extended-range Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles went on public view for the first time during a visit by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to the Han Kuang 41 drills in New Taipei on Tuesday.

The standard version of the supersonic missile has a range from 150 kilometers to 200 km, but the new version can reach 400 km. Their appearance in the Bali District on the seventh day of the July 9-18 exercises marked their first viewing by the public, the Liberty Times reported.

The Navy deployed four launch vehicles in the area near Taipei Port, with Lai spending 10 minutes Tuesday morning inspecting the site. He had first observed the Army’s 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade conducting exercises nearby.

The military budgeted NT$44.1 billion (US$1.5 billion) for the procurement of the two types of Hsiung Feng III missiles. Navy vessels will be equipped with the extended-range version, while the missiles will also be deployed at key bases along the coast.