Taiwan's Military Conducts Historic First Test of HIMARS Missile System

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan’s military has just wrapped up its first day of live-fire missile tests in the south of the country using the HIMARS system bought from the U.S. Defense reporter Jaime Ocon was there to see them in action.

Transcript

00:00At this secret military base in southern Pingtung, Taiwan's army is making history.

00:09For the first time, Taiwan is firing the U.S.-made HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

00:16It's one of the most precise weapons in the world that fires rockets and missiles on the back of a truck.

00:22Soldiers here are learning how to hit targets at sea as part of annual missile tests.

00:30When we come back to the border, we will perform a military training.

00:33After the military training is finished, we will be able to perform a military training.

00:38This test has been five years in the making, after Taiwan first ordered 11 HIMARS systems in 2020.

00:45The first batch of those weapons arrived roughly six months ago.

00:48But in 2022, Taiwan bought an additional 18.

00:52If all goes to plan, Taiwan will receive 29 HIMARS systems.

00:56And so the goal now for the military is to figure out where the weapon fits in the overall defensive strategy.

01:02Taking lessons from the war in Ukraine on how to best utilize this kind of firepower.

01:06In Ukraine, soldiers have been using the HIMARS to hit Russian military facilities with precision,

01:12without being exposed to a counterattack for too long.

01:15Eyeing threats from neighboring China, Taiwan could do the same if a war broke out,

01:20as some of the missiles in the HIMARS can reach almost 300 kilometers.

01:23Once you fire a big artillery system, you've got to get out of there very quickly

01:28because the enemy is going to be able to find you and return fire.

01:30So the HIMARS is going to be far more survivable in its ability to shoot and scoop.

01:35These weapons systems, these HIMARS, could basically fire from a place that would be very hard to find

01:39before they fired, knock these things out, and that would complicate Chinese planning.

01:44Late last year, photos emerged of Taiwanese soldiers in the U.S. state of Oklahoma

01:48learning how to operate the HIMARS, and it's the same unit that's taking part in these missile tests.

01:54As more U.S. weapons continue to arrive, Taiwan's biggest challenge may be ensuring

01:58that soldiers on the ground know how to operate these advanced systems.

02:03And that's the key piece, because you can get Taiwan all the great weapons in the world,

02:07but at the end of the day, if this thing actually happens,

02:10if the commanders on the ground aren't totally sure of how they're supposed to use this weapon,

02:13you know, this thing could fall apart pretty quick.

02:15As Taiwan wraps up these historic HIMARS tests,

02:18the Army here says it feels confident about its capabilities,

02:22as it takes what could be another step towards modernizing the military.

02:26Fu Ha Hong and Haimeo Kan in Pingdong County for Taiwan Plus.

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