TAICHUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan’s military on Wednesday conducted a live-fire drill involving its newly acquired mobile HIMARS rocket system, simulating an attack on a hypothetical invading force and demonstrating its “shoot-and-scoot” capability designed to evade counterstrikes.
The exercise, held in central Taiwan’s Taichung region, marked the first time the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was fired on the island’s west coast. The system had previously been tested only on the east coast.
According to the military, the drill aimed to showcase the system’s mobility and survivability on the battlefield by enabling rapid firing followed by immediate repositioning to avoid enemy radar detection.
A company commander said the unit successfully completed the training and demonstrated operational readiness.
HIMARS, widely used by Ukraine in its war with Russia, is considered a key component of Taiwan’s efforts to modernise its forces and adopt asymmetric warfare strategies aimed at countering a numerically superior adversary.
With a reported range of around 300 kilometres, the system is capable of striking targets along China’s southeastern coast, including military infrastructure across the Taiwan Strait.
The drills took place against the backdrop of heightened tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification. Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels continue to operate regularly near the island.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the island’s people have the right to decide its future.