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Air force personnel prepare for a fighter jet combat readiness mission inside an airbase in Taiwan. Photo: EPA-EFE

Stronger Taiwan air force hangars seen to be no match for Chinese military’s new ballistic missiles

  • Taiwan aims to build 36 new missile-proof hangars at its Taichung airbase
  • Chinese short-range missiles designed for precision strikes with bigger payloads may render those plans futile, military experts say
Taiwan’s plans to build stronger hangars for its fighter jets may be in vain, as the Chinese military has developed short-range guided missiles capable of piercing any reinforced aircraft base, experts said.
“[Mainland] China’s ballistic missiles and multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) now use the BeiDou satellite navigation and terminal infrared image guidance systems, enabling them to hit any reinforced aircraft hangar and penetrate it precisely,” said Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of Canada-based military magazine Kanwa Asian Defence.

04:45

Taiwanese president calls mainland China military exercises ‘irresponsible’ as PLA missiles fly

Taiwanese president calls mainland China military exercises ‘irresponsible’ as PLA missiles fly

Chang cited a promotional video for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) export version M20, also called the DF-12 surface-to-surface short-range tactical missile, to explain his point.

He said the four-tonne (8,820 pounds) Dongfeng (DF) missile could be armed with “fuel-air warheads”, which use oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion to completely destroy targets.

“With a less than one metre (3.3 feet) of circular error probability [for the missiles], all efforts to reinforce fighter jet hangars in Taiwan would amount to nothing when dealing with the PLA,” Chang said, referring to the measure of a weapon system’s precision.

This comes after Taiwan’s defence ministry sought continued funding for its seven-year plan to build 36 new hangars at the air force’s largest base in the central city of Taichung.

03:13

Taiwan showcases fighter jets as mainland China’s war games continue following Pelosi visit

Taiwan showcases fighter jets as mainland China’s war games continue following Pelosi visit

The hardened hangars at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base would be designed to withstand hits from the PLA’s Dongfeng ballistic missiles, air force chief Huang Chih-wei told a defence committee under Taiwan’s legislature last month.

The hangars would be able to resist a single warhead with 1,500 pounds (0.7 tonnes) of explosives, and have up to 3,300 pounds of anti-bomb capacity, Huang said. Construction work was expected to be outsourced by the end of December.

With Taiwan’s existing air force hangars deemed unable to resist the PLA’s new advanced Dongfeng series ballistic missiles, the island’s defence ministry proposed a seven-year budget of NT$4.39 billion (US$143 million) in 2020 to build the reinforced bases over seven years.

The project, expected to be completed in 2026, would better protect Taiwanese warplanes and preserve combat capability in case of an attack by the PLA, Huang said.

02:48

Mainland China military exercises continue around Taiwan beyond announced deadline

Mainland China military exercises continue around Taiwan beyond announced deadline

Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, said experts had evaluated the designed 3,300-pound anti-bomb capability based on the combat capacity of the PLA’s DF-16 short-range missile, which can carry a one-tonne payload with a strike range of between 800km and 1,000km.

The DF-16 short-range missile was among the key PLA weapons to hit the waters around Taiwan when Beijing launched days of unprecedented live-fire drills in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August.

Intensive periodic PLA drills on a smaller scale have continued around the island as tensions across the Taiwan Strait remain high.

Record 18 PLA bombers enter Taiwan’s air zone in latest assault drill

“The payload of the DF-16 is one tonne, or 2,200 pounds,” Lu said. “Given the additional impulsive force from its speedy warhead, it does make sense to have a resistance of up to 3,300 pounds.”

Taiwanese fighter jets were earlier placed in ventilated hangers without any blast-resistant designs, Lu added.

“All the airbases in Taiwan are vulnerable once a Taiwan contingency happens. But, compared with the previous design, the new hangars at least can better protect fighter jets and increase the PLA’s strike difficulty.”

China is working on ‘invisible’ missile launchers for ‘future combat’

A source close to the PLA said while the DF-12 is only for export at the moment, the mainland had developed a series of short-range missiles and MLRS with different strike capabilities, targeting Taiwan’s military and government buildings.

The circular error probability for all the warheads was under one metre, the source said.

“The PLA has not put the DF-12 into service, it is just for export. But the mainland has developed many other types of short-range missiles armed with specific warheads that are tailor-made for precision strikes,” said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

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