Taiwan lacks effective rocket interception capability: Experts

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Taiwan lacks effective and relatively cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making Taiwan's planned "T-Dome" interception system necessary, two experts said Tuesday.

The concerns were raised after China's military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named "Justice Mission-2025."

The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9 a.m. from Pingtan in China's Fujian Province, according to Lt. Gen. Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles northeast of Keelung City without flying over Taiwan, Hsieh said at a news conference Tuesday evening.

The second wave involved 10 rockets launched at 1 p.m. from Shishi in Fujian Province, which landed 50 nautical miles west of Tainan, Hsieh said.

Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said the PCH-191 rocket system used by China in the drills has a maximum range of 280 kilometers, capable of striking most of western Taiwan.

Chieh said the rockets have "some precision characteristics" and can serve as a lower-cost option for large-volume joint firepower output compared with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, but Taiwan currently lacks suitable interception systems for such rockets.

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That is why Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) is promoting the "T-Dome" to build interception systems capable of defending against rockets as a form of forward deployment, he said.

Lai announced that Taiwan would build the system during his public address on Oct. 10., Taiwan's National Day.

Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an associate professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the mobility of military equipment is critical.

He said many newer systems, including the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system, the M109A7 howitzer and new Air Force radar systems, are mobile but require reinforced or underground shelters to improve survivability.