Following the recent deployment of Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missiles on Kinmen, the army plans to put a battery of Hawk anti-aircraft missiles on the island as well.
According to defense sources, the Hawk missiles will be deployed at a fixed, secret position on Kinmen. The missile battery's new home is now under construction.
The planned deployment of Hawk missiles is expected to greatly strengthen the air defenses of Kinmen, which now relies on aging Chaparral missiles for defense against air intruders.
The Hsiung Feng-II was developed by the military-run Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
The deployment made Kinmen Taiwan's third offshore island group to be equipped with the domestically built Hsiung Feng.
The other two island groups armed with the same missile are Matsu and Penghu.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Taipei Times that the missile deployment is just part of the army's plans to build a missile-based defense system for Kinmen.
"The army's defense strategy for Kinmen in the future is to reduce troops while increasing missile forces and automated weapon systems at the same time. It helps explain why the number of troops on Kinmen is being reducing but the effectiveness of weapons is being increased. This will only strengthen, rather than weaken, the overall defense capabilities of the island," the official said.
The deployment of the Hawk missile to Kinmen also involves a plan by the army to redistribute its stockpile of missiles on Taiwan proper, which is becoming saturated with missiles, especially after the delivery of the mobile Avenger anti-aircraft missile system earlier this year.
The army does not plan to deploy the US-made Avenger system to any of the offshore islands for the time being, because it is still training troops to use the advanced weapon system.
On Taiwan proper, the army has stationed several thousand Hawk missiles which, along with US-made Patriot and locally built Sky Bow-II air defense missiles, provide one of the densest missile defense networks in the world.
The Patriot missile batteries are located in the Taipei area, while Sky Bow-II batteries have been stationed around the country, including Taiwan proper and Matsu and Penghu archipelagoes.
The missile shield to be built by the army for Kinmen may not be as strong as that which already exists on Penghu and Matsu, as the missiles on Kinmen are fewer in number and are less capable, a defense official said.
In addition, the defense missiles to be deployed on Kinmen are intended for self-defense and will not be stronger than missiles based in China's Fujian Province directly across the Strait, the official said.
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