Taiwan’s Ching Tien Missile Program Takes Shape, With a Hypersonic Upgrade Able to Reach Beijing

A previously secret Taiwanese long-range missile has moved from development into operational service, according to a budget document submitted by the Defense Ministry to the Legislative Yuan. The air force plans to spend money from 2027 to 2031 on follow-up maintenance for the “Tian Ji II weapons system,” a public budget line that signals the Ching Tien I missile has completed mass production and been delivered to the air force’s special missile units.

The weapon was once concealed under the classified Yun Feng missile and Fei Ji II project names. After production ended and the missile entered the operational sequence, the military changed the designation to Tian Ji II and placed routine maintenance and periodic inspection costs in the public budget. The move both reflects the weapon’s active status and allows lawmakers to review the spending.

The Ching Tien I uses ramjet technology and can reach speeds of Mach 3. Its effective range is reported at 1,200 to 1,500 kilometers, enough to strike secondary military sites in central and eastern China. Because of its early design and large airframe, the first-generation missile currently depends mainly on fixed, tunnel-like positions or shelters built into mountains.

Taiwan’s military and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology are working on the Ching Tien II to address the vulnerability of fixed launch sites to satellite surveillance. The planned missile would move toward road mobility, using a European 12-by-12 heavy military chassis to carry it along roads and forest routes. Officials are also evaluating whether it could move and launch from railway tracks.

The second-generation missile is described as a hypersonic system using an upgraded scramjet and solid-fuel rocket propulsion. Its top speed would exceed Mach 5, while its range would rise above 2,000 kilometers, potentially reaching inland strategic locations including Beijing and Wuhan. The article presents the system as a central element of Taiwan’s asymmetric deterrence strategy.