Taiwan conducts first live-fire drill with US-made HIMARS missile systems on its west coast, simulating cross-regional attacks amid tensions with China.
Publish dateThursday 11 June 2026 - 09:19
Story Code : 357454
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): A day after Taiwan's anti-China coastal drill to "destroy the invader," Taiwanese fireworks with US missiles have made headlines.
The move comes at a time when China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly warned the island's authorities and its Western backers about Taiwan's move toward independence from China.
The Taipei Times reported that Taiwan conducted its first live-fire drill with US-made HIMARS artillery missile systems, simulating precise cross-regional attacks from the Dajia River in Taichung.
Taiwan’s fireworks display on its west coast today came after Taiwan launched the HIMARS on its east coast for the first time last year. Taiwan’s west coast is directly across the Taiwan Strait from China.
“The exercise demonstrated the advantages of rapid deployment, precision strike capability and cross-regional reinforcement, while enhancing the fire support capacity of ground forces and effectively deterring enemy aggression,” the Taiwan military said in a statement.
The exercise also demonstrated the HIMARS’s mobility and ability to “fire and escape,” or retreat after firing to avoid being locked on by enemy radar on the battlefield, the military said.
The drill was supposed to fire 36 missiles, but a total of 32 missiles were fired, said Colonel Wang Yi-ming, chief of staff of the 58th Artillery Command of the Taiwan Army.
Two missiles on Taiwan’s north coast failed to fire and two missiles on the south coast were fired by mistake, and the military is “investigating the cause of the technical malfunction,” he said.
The Taipei Times wrote about today's drill: "With a range of about 300 kilometers, the Haimars can hit coastal targets in Fujian Province in southeastern China, across the Taiwan Strait."
The move comes at a time when China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly warned the island's authorities and its Western backers about Taiwan's move toward independence from China.
The Taipei Times reported that Taiwan conducted its first live-fire drill with US-made HIMARS artillery missile systems, simulating precise cross-regional attacks from the Dajia River in Taichung.
Taiwan’s fireworks display on its west coast today came after Taiwan launched the HIMARS on its east coast for the first time last year. Taiwan’s west coast is directly across the Taiwan Strait from China.
“The exercise demonstrated the advantages of rapid deployment, precision strike capability and cross-regional reinforcement, while enhancing the fire support capacity of ground forces and effectively deterring enemy aggression,” the Taiwan military said in a statement.
The exercise also demonstrated the HIMARS’s mobility and ability to “fire and escape,” or retreat after firing to avoid being locked on by enemy radar on the battlefield, the military said.
The drill was supposed to fire 36 missiles, but a total of 32 missiles were fired, said Colonel Wang Yi-ming, chief of staff of the 58th Artillery Command of the Taiwan Army.
Two missiles on Taiwan’s north coast failed to fire and two missiles on the south coast were fired by mistake, and the military is “investigating the cause of the technical malfunction,” he said.
The Taipei Times wrote about today's drill: "With a range of about 300 kilometers, the Haimars can hit coastal targets in Fujian Province in southeastern China, across the Taiwan Strait."
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