Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense conducted its 2025 missile firing exercise in southern Taiwan, conducting live-fire exercises with newly purchased HIMARS training rockets from the United States for the first time into the open sea, and launching more than 800 Taiwan-made rockets in multiple batches.
Taiwan's military launched its annual "Thunder" exercise on the 12th at Jiupeng Air Base in the southeastern Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung to verify its precision shooting. Defense Minister Gu Lixiong observed the exercise on site.
A Taiwanese army officer told Radio Free Asia that a precision missile firing exercise was conducted on the 12th, using the HIMARS multiple rocket system to fire a total of 33 rockets to verify the results of the installation, but he was unable to disclose details such as the models and range of these 33 rockets.
The shooting notice shows that from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 12, live-fire exercises of ground weapons against sea (air) were conducted in the Manzhou area of Pingtung, with the maximum ballistic height being 20,000 feet.
He Zengyuan, director of the Cyber Security and Decision-making Research Institute at the Taiwan National Defense Security Research Institute, specializing in weapons acquisition management, explained in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the HIMARS MLRS uses wheeled vehicles instead of tracked ones, significantly increasing its mobility. The Taiwan Army's Thunderbolt 2000 MLRS has a maximum range of only 45 kilometers.
Scholars: HIMARS missiles can suppress China at its source
He Zengyuan noted that the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system comprises two types of weapons: "precision rockets." The GPS-guided rocket has a range of 70 kilometers and a maximum of 92 kilometers, enabling highly accurate strike capabilities. The other type, the "tactical missile," can extend its strike range to 300 kilometers with an accuracy of approximately 10 meters. This is of great strategic significance for enhancing joint operations, specifically coastal operations and the ability to strike critical PLA military infrastructure, ferry vessels, and amphibious transport ships.
Su Ziyun, director of the Institute for National Defense Strategy and Resources at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Radio Free Asia, "The M142 HIMARS missile can suppress China at its source, a 'onion ring' approach. HIMARS rockets can reach China's coastal areas, suppressing any landing fleets before they depart. If any remaining landing fleets sail east of the median line of the strait, Taiwan's Thunderbolt-2000 missiles can launch multi-layered strikes, more effectively countering China's landing attempts and enhancing Taiwan's overall defense capabilities."
The demonstration on the 12th involved the Taiwan Army's "Long-Range Precision Firepower Strike System (Honglei Project)" procured from the United States, with deliveries beginning in September of last year. The military has described this as a timely relief, boosting morale and enhancing ground combat capabilities amid growing Chinese gray zone threats against Taiwan.
Trump sold Taiwan the HIMARS missile, which can strike across the sea, during his first term
Jie Zhong, a commissioned associate researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Radio Free Asia, "The US used to be very resistant to Taiwan acquiring weapons capable of striking mainland Chinese targets across the sea. However, during the Trump administration's first term, it was quite unusual to agree to sell Taiwan not only HIMARS missiles but also artillery tactical missiles. This certainly means that the US is no longer so resistant and no longer strongly opposes the Nationalist Army striking military targets along China's southeastern coast when necessary."
Jie Zhong analyzed that the Taiwan Strait is approximately 100 kilometers at its narrowest point and has an average width of 200 kilometers. The HIMARS missile has a range of 300 kilometers, which would at least put military targets along the southeastern coast, such as Fujian, within its range. The US sale of the HIMARS multiple rocket system to Taiwan symbolizes a shift in its stance toward Taiwan's acquisition of cross-sea strike capabilities.
In addition, he mentioned that the Biden administration agreed to sell the second batch of HIMARS multiple rocket systems, which are precision-guided rockets with a maximum range of 70 kilometers, enabling Taiwan's ground forces to have the ability to carry out cross-theater strikes.
Jie Zhong said: "With the increase in the number of various amphibious warfare ships and amphibious assault ships of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the increase in various new amphibious assault vehicles, its transfer area may be pushed back from 40 kilometers from the Taiwanese mainland to 60 kilometers from the Taiwanese mainland, which may make it impossible for Taiwan's domestically produced Thunderbolt 2000 to reach the target. The HIMARS rocket with a range of 70 kilometers and precision guidance can fill this gap, allowing the national army to maintain the ability to attack the Chinese Communist Party's transfer area while providing precise guidance and more accurate attacks on high-value targets in the Chinese Communist Party's fleet, such as amphibious assault ships or landing command ships."
Military experts: HIMARS rockets enhance tactical flexibility and cross-regional reinforcement effectiveness
Jie Zhong also explained that the HIMARS rocket, with its 70-kilometer range, can also provide cross-theater fire support. "If the PLA successfully seizes the beachhead and begins to occupy a landing base between Taoyuan and Taipei Port, the ROC army could theoretically use HIMARS from the border between Miaoli and Hsinchu to launch precise and cross-theater strikes against the PLA landing base near Taipei Port, increasing defense capabilities and tactical flexibility."
However, he mentioned that the challenge of adding the HIMARS multiple rocket system to enhance defense combat capabilities is that the Army's longest-range weapon, the Thunder 2000, is only 45 kilometers. Now the HIMARS rocket has a range of 70 kilometers and the missile has a range of 300 kilometers, and it can strike with precision. The Army will inevitably be forced to improve its beyond-visual-range targets.
Su Ziyun also mentioned that a 300-kilometer range could reach military targets along the coast near Fujian and Zhejiang ports, including troop concentrations or radar stations, and could enable the use of "cross-regional reinforcement" tactics. "If Chinese forces were to land in central Taiwan, the Sixth Army Corps in the north and the Eighth Army Corps in the south could utilize the Thunderbolt 2000 or HIMARS missile systems to strike from the north toward Taichung Harbor, Jianan Beach, or the Chinese landing point, achieving a cross-regional support effect."
He Zengyuan pointed out that the HIMARS multiple rocket system verification project should include "cross-regional reinforcement" such as testing its maneuverability, and "effectiveness analysis" such as speed, climbing, and driving distance after refueling, as well as "adaptability analysis" such as overall logistics support for vehicles and weapon systems, and "live-fire shooting" based on deployment positions, measuring the main firing line angle, engagement and firing mode, and through actual testing to understand whether the interception rate is as provided by the US side.
He Zengyuan suggested that in the future, the use of computer model simulation systems could be strengthened to integrate different joint fire support coordination mechanisms with limited resources, such as the number of weapons and the performance of the firepower system, in order to construct an optimized defense model.
Taiwan's domestically-produced Thunder system launched more than 800 rockets in a drill
In addition, on the morning of the 12th, the Army Artillery Unit conducted live-fire exercises with the Thunder 2000 multiple rocket system, firing a total of 837 rockets in six waves. The stunning exercise attracted many military enthusiasts.
Su Ziyun pointed out that Thunder 2000 is an artillery rocket developed by Taiwan itself, including three types of rockets: MK15, MK30 and MK45, with maximum ranges of 15, 30 and 45 kilometers respectively.
Su Ziyun said, "From a defense perspective, this means Taiwan can counter Chinese landing craft. This is because a Chinese landing craft might switch from large ships to smaller ones at a distance of 40 kilometers, then proceed to the so-called beaching area, offshore, and then to the landing zone. These three types of rockets, when fired, would create an area as large as several football fields, effectively preventing Chinese landing craft from reaching shore."
In addition, the Ministry of National Defense announced on the morning of the 12th that in the past 24 hours, 36 Chinese military aircraft were detected, 17 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and 8 Chinese warships and 2 government ships were detected.
