Reuters: Taiwan's anti-ship missiles could reach 1,850 by early 2029, creating a 'kill zone' in the Taiwan Strait

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 4th, combined foreign reports) Reuters reports that based on arms sales data, U.S. export license documents, estimates from defense experts, and interviews with Taiwanese officials, Taiwan's anti-ship missiles could significantly increase to approximately 1,850 by early 2029, potentially creating a 'kill zone' in the Taiwan Strait to counter Chinese invasion or blockade.

According to Reuters, this growing arsenal of anti-ship weapons is part of Taiwan's shift towards 'asymmetric warfare,' which aims to offset China's overwhelming firepower with a large number of low-cost but lethal weapons.

Current and former Taiwanese military officers stated that Taiwan's goal is to build a force capable of surviving China's initial wave of air strikes and still being able to strike an invading fleet or blockading ships.

These officers noted that Ukraine and Iran have successfully used missiles and drones to narrow the gap against more powerful adversaries on the battlefield.

Taiwan's anti-ship missile arsenal is primarily composed of U.S.-supplied Harpoon missiles and domestically produced Hsiung Feng missiles.

Reuters wrote that the U.S. has already delivered 450 Boeing-made Harpoon missiles to Taiwan. If the U.S. delivers the weapons according to the planned schedule, Taiwan will have 850 Harpoon missiles by early 2029.

By that time, Taiwan is also expected to have approximately 1,000 or more domestically produced Hsiung Feng Type II and Type III anti-ship cruise missiles. Therefore, Taiwan's total number of anti-ship missiles would increase to around 1,850.

However, these estimates are based on the premise that the U.S. will deliver the weapons on time and in full, and do not account for factors that could cause delivery delays, such as production bottlenecks or competition from U.S. wartime demands.

Arthur Ou, Deputy Executive Director of the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that a large-scale deployment of anti-ship weapons would help the military establish a 'kill zone' in the Taiwan Strait, concentrating firepower to inflict heavy losses and repel a Chinese invasion.

Ou told Reuters that Taiwan's goal is to prevent the Chinese military from landing and completing its mission, not to destroy every single one of its ships.

Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and a research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies (JFSS), said that investing in anti-ship missiles is a wise move.

Newsham analyzed that what would trouble China are long-range precision weapons capable of severely damaging its ships anywhere in the Taiwan Strait, or even before they set sail to cross it. He said, 'If there are enough of them and they are used properly, these missiles will pose a major threat to Chinese invasion forces.'

Proponents of this strategy argue that anti-ship missiles can be deployed in a dispersed and concealed manner across Taiwan, making it difficult for Chinese forces to detect and destroy them in the early stages of an offensive.

However, Yu Hsiao-pin, a retired naval officer who served in the National Security Council, pointed out that many of Taiwan's anti-ship missiles are still deployed on warships or in fixed positions, making them vulnerable to enemy preemptive strikes.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that existing anti-ship missiles are deployed in a mobile and dispersed manner to preserve combat power, while missiles in fixed positions are equipped with protection and backup mechanisms and can be converted to mobile deployment as needed to enhance battlefield survivability.

To coordinate operational firepower, the Ministry of National Defense plans to establish a new 'Coastal Operations Command' on July 1, integrating coastal radars, anti-ship missiles, and drones.

Reuters also noted that for the Taiwanese military, anti-ship missiles not only strengthen Taiwan's ability to resist invasion but also buy time for allied forces to intervene and assist Taiwan. (Editor: Hung Pei-ying) 1150604