The Chinese military test-fired two Dong Feng-21A medium-range ballistic missiles in inland China two weeks ago, marking the most recent tests of this kind, defense sources said yesterday.
The two missiles were laun-ched from mobile platforms in Jiangxi Province toward target sites in Gansu Province, sources said.
The results of the tests are not known. Intelligence information indicates that the tests were aimed at finding out whether the Dong Feng-21A could successfully apply its new capabilities. Taiwan's military would not say what these new capabilities are.
The Dong Feng-21A, a variant of the Dong Feng-21 missile family, has a range of 2,000km, making it capable of hitting Taiwan, Japan, India and countries in Indo-China.
The missile was developed from a submarine-launched ballistic missile and became operational in the Chinese military in 1985.
Taiwan's military initially did not see the Dong Feng-21 as a potential threat to the nation, but it has changed this viewpoint in recent years as the chances increase that China could use longer-range ballistic missiles, rather than mere short-range missiles like the M-9 and M-11, against Taiwan.
The Chinese military is also developing new capabilities for the longer-range ballistic missiles in its inventory, such as adapting these missiles to attack battleship groups, sources said.
Such tactics could be used against the battleship groups that the navy plans to form in the future, firstly around the Kidd-class destroyer and later around the Aegis-class destroyer.
US aircraft carrier battle groups could also become the targets of China's longer-range ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, defense officials revealed that the number of short-range ballistic missiles -- including the M-9 and M-11 -- that China has deployed across the Taiwan Strait, has reached more than 400; rather than the 350 reported by the local and foreign press.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the number of these missiles has exceeded 400 for quite some time.
"But there is no need to panic over the deployment, which is apparently targeted at Taiwan. The Second Artillery Corps of the Chinese military has a long way to go to develop sufficient missile-attack capabilities to paralyze Taiwan's defense facilities," the official said.
"Among the five ballistic-missile brigades that the Second Artillery Corps claims to have activated, only one can be described as fully equipped. The remaining four brigades have yet to be strengthened to become a real threat to Taiwan," he said.
According to the official, China's only fully equipped ballistic missile brigade is the 817th brigade, while brigades like the 820th are mainly "empty shells."
But in computerized war simulations during this year's Hankuang No. 18 exercise, Taiwan's air force lost almost all of its capabilities in the first wave of missile attacks from the simulated Chinese military.
Hundreds of "could-be" ballistic missiles hit the major air bases around Taiwan, causing 75 percent of the air force's fighter planes to be damaged on the ground and unable to take off.
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