An Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jet recently conducted an exercise equipped with an air-launched variant of the Hsiung Feng-III (HF-3) missile, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
However, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not confirm whether it was a live-fire test.
The revelation came after a picture of an IDF carrying the air-launched HF-3 missile was published in the local Chinese-language United Daily News on Friday.
Photo courtesy of a reader
The missile, which has undergone intensive testing, is still being developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, a military official said on condition of anonymity.
The air-launched HF-3 missile is smaller than the ship-based and land-based variants, allowing it to be mounted under the wings of the fighter jet, the source said.
As the missile would be launched from a fighter jet, the original HF-3’s side boosters have been omitted to reduce the weight, the source said, indicating that the air-launched HF-3 could enhance the long-range strike capabilities of the IDF.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of its development, the Chungshan Institute has remained tight-lipped about the details and refused to comment on the report on Friday.
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