According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, the mass production of Wan Chien cruise missiles is set to conclude by the end of this month. Upon completion, the Taiwanese Armed Forces will have 150 units available, capable of striking targets at a distance of 200 kilometers.
The development of this project is part of the Ministry of Defense’s decision under the Maritime and Air Combat Capability Enhancement Program, which allocated an extraordinary budget of 236.969 billion taiwan dollars to develop ten key projects for the Armed Forces. One of these projects focused on the Wan Chien cruise missile.
Military sources revealed that the Wan Chien missile, classified as “Wan Chien Type I” by the Air Force and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), already has an extended-range model, known as “Wan Chien Type II” (or extended-range version), which has been successfully developed and tested, achieving a range of 400 kilometers. The development and improvement of missile systems will continue under the Ministry of Defense’s annual budget.
According to military sources, the Wan Chien missile system received a total budget of 12.5 billion New Taiwan Dollars under the special program. From 2022 to 2024, approximately 50 missiles were produced annually, totaling at least 150 units over three years. These missiles are designed to be launched from Taiwan’s locally produced AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo fighter jets. After multiple tests, they have demonstrated significant enhancements in the long-range precision strike capabilities of these combat aircraft.
Finally, the Maritime and Air Combat Capability Enhancement Program encompasses ten key projects: the first and second phases of the coastal anti-ship missile system, campaign air defense systems (Sky Sword II ground-launched missiles), ground-based air defense systems (Sky Bow III missiles), unmanned attack aerial vehicles (Chien Hsiang drones), the Wan Chien missile system, the Hsiung Sheng missile system (long-range cruise missiles), the first and second phases of high-performance navy ships, and the integration of weapon systems on Coast Guard vessels for wartime use.
*Cover photo credits: Youth Daily News.
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