Taiwanese
servicemen to load an air-to-air missile onto an F-16 fighter.
Taiwan's
navy successfully test-fired two anti-ship missiles from a submarine in the
first such exercise since the weapons were bought from the United States.
The Harpoon
missiles were launched during a drill last week from the Hai Hu, or Sea Tiger,
a Dutch-built conventional submarine.
The
sea-skimming missiles, which have a range of 278km, would boost the attack
capabilities of the two submarines previously only armed with torpedoes with a
much more limited range, the naval sources were quoted as saying by the
newspapers.
Taiwan, which already has Harpoon missiles
installed on frigates and F-16 fighter jets, ordered the submarine-launched
weapons in 2008 as part of a US$6.5 billion arms sale that was strongly
criticised by Beijing.
The deal also included advanced interceptor Patriot
missiles and some 30 Apache attack helicopters.
Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved
markedly since the island's president, Ma Ying-jeou, and his mainland-friendly
Kuomintang (KMT) party came to power in 2008 promising to strengthen trade
links and allow more mainlanders to visit the island. Ma was re-elected in
2012.
Beijing has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan
should the island declare formal independence, prompting Taipei to seek more
advanced weapons, largely from the US.
However, it was reported last week that Taiwan was
seeking US support to build its own submarines after failing to get the
military hardware from the US or other countries.
Washington has not followed through with a 2001
deal to sell eight diesel-electric submarines over fears it could hurt
mainland-US relations.
This article appeared in the South China Morning
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