Taiwan Reveals Long-Secret Missile System Amid Rising Tensions

As Chinese live-fire drills intensify around Taiwan, the country has revealed a rare sighting of its long-secret cruise missile system, the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E). This development underscores Taiwan’s strategy to hold key targets on the Chinese mainland at risk amid escalating military tensions. The missile launcher was spotted moving from Hualien to Taitung along Taiwan’s southeast coast, marking one of the few public appearances of the system since its development began in the early 2000s.

The HF-2E, comparable to the US Tomahawk missile, utilizes a booster-assisted launch followed by a jet engine for propulsion. It features GPS-aided inertial navigation and terrain-matching guidance, enabling it to strike targets between 300 and 600 kilometers away, with potential extended-range variants reaching up to 1,500 kilometers. This capability allows Taiwan to target critical installations such as People’s Liberation Army (PLA) airfields and missile sites, enhancing its ability to retaliate against potential invasions.

Taiwan’s decision to redeploy the HF-2E comes as China conducts its sixth and most extensive set of drills around the island since 2022. The move reflects Taiwan’s aim to complicate Chinese targeting strategies while maintaining mobile counterstrike options. Taiwan regards long-range strike systems as vital for deterring Chinese intervention, particularly as China boasts a significantly larger arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles.

Strategic Military Developments

The recent missile deployment is part of Taiwan’s broader strategy to enhance its missile capabilities in response to rising cross-strait tensions. In September 2025, Taiwan introduced the Barracuda-500, a low-cost, US-co-produced land-mobile cruise missile designed to strike both sea and land targets. This development underscores the strengthening of defense ties between Taiwan and the United States, even as China warns against external interference.

In addition, Taiwan is reportedly developing a stealthy, long-range anti-ship missile capable of reaching 600 to 1,000 kilometers, aiming to push Chinese carrier groups further from the First Island Chain. This initiative aligns with Taiwan’s evolving military strategy, which emphasizes survivability and standoff capabilities. Furthermore, Taiwan has begun fielding Ching Tien hypersonic cruise missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers, providing enhanced deterrence options deep into Chinese territory.

According to Drew Thompson, a scholar on Taiwan’s military strategy, the island’s war planning envisions limited, retaliatory strikes on the Chinese mainland. These strikes are designed to delay and disrupt PLA operations rather than to seize territory or achieve decisive victories. Thompson notes that within Taiwan’s Overall Defense Concept (ODC), strikes against the mainland serve as a tool of denial, deployed only after hostilities have commenced.

Regional and Global Implications

The potential for Taiwan to conduct strikes on the Chinese mainland raises significant concerns regarding escalation. Eric Gomez, in a report for the Cato Institute, indicates that the United States has been cautious about supplying Taiwan with long-range land-attack weapons, fearing they could undermine strategic ambiguity and escalate tensions further. Despite these limitations, Taiwan is allowed to develop its own long-range missile capabilities.

The US Department of Defense’s 2025 China Military Power Report highlights that China is strengthening its air and missile defenses to protect key political, military, and economic nodes from long-range attacks. This includes the deployment of integrated surface-to-air missile systems and advanced radar technologies to enhance detection and interception capabilities.

The risks associated with striking the Chinese mainland are substantial. Military analysts warn that such actions could be viewed as existential threats to the Chinese Communist Party’s survival. As Brian MacLean notes, even limited conventional strikes might provoke a disproportionate response from China, including potential nuclear escalation.

Taiwan’s strategic military developments signal a shift from a purely defensive posture to a more proactive counterstrike capability. By holding targets on the Chinese mainland at risk, Taiwan aims to complicate PLA invasion plans and force China into difficult operational and political decisions. Yet, this approach also raises the stakes for all parties involved, as even minor military actions could blur the lines of deterrence and escalate into broader conflicts.