First live-fire test of air-launched Hsiung Feng III missile conducted

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) An air-launched variant of the Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) supersonic anti-ship missile has completed its first live-fire test after being mounted on an Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), an Air Force source confirmed Friday.

The source said the missile, developed by Taiwan's state-run weapons developer Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, was test-fired Thursday as part of efforts to enhance the nation's air combat capabilities.

If subsequent tests continue to meet performance requirements, the program will advance to service-level operational evaluation, the stage before mass production.

Photos and text posted Thursday on a military-focused Facebook page showed a single-seat IDF with the tail number "1490" -- an aircraft long involved in supporting the air-launched HF-3 test program -- carrying a test missile on its right wing. A positioning pod used for testing purposes was mounted on the wingtip.

According to the post, the aircraft took off from Chihhang Air Base in Taitung, carried out the test mission and returned safely, with the test missile on the right wing having been successfully fired.

An Air Force official later confirmed that the test was part of the air-launched HF-3 missile program, codenamed the "Hsiung Chi (Brave Raptor)" program, to enhance Taiwan's air combat capabilities.

The air-launched HF-3 missile features a smaller airframe than the ship-launched and land-based versions and is designed to be carried under the wings of IDF fighters. As it is launched from an aircraft, the missile does not require the two boosters used in other variants, significantly reducing its overall weight.