Taiwan’s ballistic programme was developed with a view to deterring the People’s Republic of China from attacking the island, over which it claims sovereignty. The forces established have the aim of resisting an assault long enough for the United States to intervene in Taiwan’s defence and to inflict significant losses on the adversary, notably using anti-air capabilities. The programme received significant support from Washington, despite the fact that out of concern of appeasing Beijing, the United States now favours collaboration on missile defence rather than the provision of offensive systems. In reality, although Taiwan has acquired U.S. missile defence technologies, Taiwan does not seem to subscribe to a purely defensive approach, as demonstrated by the opposition of certain Taiwanese experts to the instalment of long-range radars on the island, following a bilateral visit in June 2014. Au such, although the first short-range ballistic missile (Qing Feng) bore significant resemblance to the American Lance MGM-52 missile (along with characteristics in common with the Israeli Gabriel missile), the programme, established by the Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, has become increasingly more autonomous, with the launch of the Tien-Chi missile in the 1980s, followed by the Tien-Ma.

The first ballistic missile commissioned by Taiwan, in all likelihood in 1982, was called Ching Feng. It was designed to be a battlefield weapon to protect the island against Chinese invasion. Its launch mass of 1500kg allowed it to be mobile and deployed rapidly. Little information is available regarding its current status. The Tien-Chi missile was designed to cover a range of 300km with a payload of 500kg, but it seems in fact to only have proved effective with a lighter payload and over a shorter distance (around 120km). It is not officially known whether this missile has been deployed, but the 2012 edition of Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems reported that between 15 and 50 missiles are believed to be situated on the islands in the Straits of Taiwan.

Following an initial attempt that was aborted during the 1980s under American pressure, the second version of the Tien-Ma was launched in 1996, against the backdrop of substantial tension with Beijing. It was designed to reach a range of almost 1000km with a single warhead payload of 350kg, thereby principally targeting military facilities in continental China. The missile was abandoned in 2000 due to its obsolescence, and its actual status is largely unknown; certain observers suggested that a new intermediate-range missile programme based on the Tien-Ma had been initiated in 2005, but this information has been denied by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defence.

The Taiwanese ballistic programme is thus shrouded in uncertainty, in addition to the lack of available information on its cruise missile programme. This programme, which was referred to in NPM n°79, favours long ranges, a fact that could bear witness to an increased desire on Taiwan’s part to free itself from dependence on the United States. It also illustrates the importance of fully including cruise missiles in international strategies against the proliferation of offensive weapons.

The specifications of Taiwanese ballistic and cruise missiles (data: NTI/James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies – Monterey Institute of International Studies, February 2014)

Missile Ranges (Credit : Cesim)

Name	Type	Length (m)	Diameter(m)	Payload (kg)	Range (km)	Propulsion	Status
Quing Feng1	Ballistic	6,4	0,60	130	130	Liquid	Not deployed
Tien Ma2	Ballistic	NA	NA	About 350	About 950	Solid	Not deployed
Tien Chi3	Ballistic	About 8	About 0,41	200	120-200	Solid	NA
Hsiung Feng-IIE4	Cruise	NA	NA	200	800	Solid/Turbofan	Deployed
Yun Feng5	Cruise	NA	NA	NA	Jusqu’à 2000	INA	Ongoing

Sources:

1 “Strategic Weapons Systems: Taiwan,” Jane’s Sentinel Assessment, 27 February 2013, www.janes.ihs.com.
2 “Tien Ma 1 (Sky Horse 1) (Taiwan),” Offensive Weapons, 13 September 2010, www.janes.ihs.com.
3 “Tien Chi (Sky Halberd),” Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems, 28 September 2012, www.janes.ihs.com.
4 “Strategic Weapons Systems: Taiwan,” Jane’s Sentinel Assessment, 27 February 2013, www.janes.ihs.com.
5 “Yun Feng,” Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems, 1 February 2013, www.janes.ihs.com.