Shouting "sink the mainland warships as soon as they show their heads," reports say that the Taiwan military is about to test-fire the "carrier killer" extended-range "Xiong-3" anti-ship missile. According to Taiwanese media, the most important annual missile firing exercise of the Taiwan military, "Sea and Air Precision Munitions Firing," will take place in late August. Among these, the public is particularly curious whether this year's exercise will involve launching the "Xiong-3 Extended Range Missile." However, it is certain that the "Kuaiqi Attack Unmanned Boat" developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) of Taiwan will make its debut.

The annual "Sea and Air Precision Munitions Firing" exercise of the Taiwan military is a symbolic act showcasing its "resistance to unification" stance. Essentially, it is a combination of political manipulation and military performance. August coincides with Lai Ching-te's visit to South American "friendly countries," and the timing of this Taiwan military missile exercise during a sensitive period, along with the first-time opening for media coverage, clearly aligns with Lai's "Taiwan independence" provocation strategy.

The Taiwan military has always boasted that the "Xiong-3 Extended Range Anti-Ship Missile" is a "carrier killer." Taiwanese media further portrays it as the core weapon for "blockading the first island chain," claiming "sink the mainland warships as soon as they appear." However, in reality, this weapon is hardly worth mentioning.

From a technical perspective, the "Xiong-3 Extended Range Missile" increases its range from 150 km to 400 km, using a ramjet engine, flying at speeds of 2.5-3 Mach, and is claimed to cover parts of the mainland coastal areas such as Fujian and Guangdong. In addition to being ship-launched, it is equipped with mobile launchers, theoretically enabling improved survivability through road mobility.

However, the core weakness of this missile is obvious: its penetration capability is weak, and it is easily intercepted. The ramjet engine technology of the "Xiong-3" originates from a U.S. design from the 1990s that has been discarded. Its extended version is essentially "a new wine in an old bottle," making it difficult to break through the PLA's integrated air defense and anti-missile network.

Its air-launched version, due to the performance limitations of the IDF (Ching-Kuo) fighter jets, sees its range reduced to 120 kilometers, with half the warhead weight, and after being mounted on the aircraft, its range significantly decreases, making it difficult to break through the PLA's carrier-based aircraft defense circle. Its threat to the PLA's aircraft carriers is limited. It should be noted that the operating radius of the PLA's aircraft carrier-based aircraft reaches 1,000 kilometers, far exceeding the range of the "Xiong-3," and the aircraft carrier fleet can operate safely at distances of 600 kilometers away.

Compared to the PLA's "YJ-12" and "DF-21D," the "Xiong-3" is completely inferior in speed, penetration mode, and system compatibility. The PLA can completely suppress the Taiwan military's firepower.

At critical moments, if the mainland is forced to take action, in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the key military bases of the Taiwan military will be among the first targets to be destroyed by the PLA, leaving them unable to survive.

In fact, in 2016, the "Xiong-3" mistakenly fired at a Taiwanese fishing boat, the warhead did not explode and the self-destruct mechanism failed, exposing its reliability issues. Retired Taiwan military major general Li Zhengjie frankly stated: "Calling it capable of sinking an aircraft carrier is extremely naive!"

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838337833942020/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.