Taiwan fires battle-tested rockets in 'shoot-and-scoot' anti-invasion drill

Taiwan's military showcased its defensive capabilities during a recent drill, simulating an assault on an invading Chinese force using its newly acquired mobile HIMARS rocket system. The exercise, conducted on the island's west coast, emphasized the system's "shoot-and-scoot" tactic, a crucial element for enhancing battlefield survivability by firing projectiles and quickly relocating to avoid enemy radar detection and counterattacks.

The drill marked the first time Taiwan fired its Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, on the west coast, a region directly facing mainland China across the Taiwan Strait. This area is considered the most likely landing zone for a Chinese military invasion. The HIMARS, widely recognized for its effectiveness in the Ukraine conflict, demonstrated its solid combat capabilities during the training, according to company commander Ko Ming-pin.

Taiwan is actively modernizing its military to prepare for a potential conflict with China, which claims sovereignty over the self-governing island. The strategy involves adopting asymmetric warfare tactics, utilizing more mobile weapons like HIMARS that possess significant firepower. The aim is to transform Taiwan into a "porcupine" – a difficult and costly target for any potential aggressor.

With a range of approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles), the HIMARS could potentially strike coastal targets in China's southeastern Fujian province. The system would be employed alongside Taiwan's domestically developed Thunderbolt-2000 launchers. These weapons are intended to target Chinese forces during their departure from ports or their attempted landings on Taiwan's coast. The Thunderbolt launchers were utilized on the first day of the broader drill, which began Tuesday.

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Our HIMARS demonstrated the solid combat capabilities of the unit and successfully completed this training.