Taiwan fires HIMARS toward the Taiwan Strait in drill
The west coast launch was the first for Taiwan's HIMARS, testing a scenario for repelling a China invasion.
Taiwan's military fired rockets from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, toward waters of the Taiwan Strait during a live-fire drill in Taichung on Wednesday (10/6). It was the first time Taiwan's HIMARS had been used from the west coast facing China. The military said the rockets were short-range training munitions that landed not far from the shoreline. The drill simulated a response to a China attack or invasion and also involved 155 mm howitzers. The Lockheed Martin-made system was operated with a "shoot-and-scoot" tactic, moving quickly into firing position and then shifting away immediately to avoid counterfire. Taiwan is modernizing its military with more mobile weapons, while the United States remains the main supplier of arms for the island's defenses.