Taiwan Unveils Mach 6 Hypersonic Missile

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News  

It’s a breakthrough for Taiwan in cruise missile technology as it seeks to ward off threats from China. 

   Just as the island prepared to celebrate the new year, Taiwan’s national defense ministry announced it has started mass production of a new hypersonic cruise missile with a range of more than 1,240 miles.  

   According to Liberty Time Net, the new missile – dubbed Qingtian – will enter service with the army in the near future. Reportedly, some units of the missile already have been delivered to Taiwanese air force missile brigades.  

   Qingtian is said to be able to travel at speeds of Mach 6 (roughly 4,600 miles per hour). It appears that Taiwan wants to be able to deploy the missile on mobile launchers, and is considering both a Czech model (the Tatra Force 12 x 12 truck, which is known for its off-road capabilities) and the American-made Oshkosh M983, which is used for the trailer-mounted Patriot missile system.   

   The website Interesting Engineering points out one of the advantages of the hypersonic missile – it can reach the limits of the earth’s atmosphere until it is ready to strike, well out of the range of enemy air defense systems. 

   China deployed its own hypersonic weapon, the DF-17 missile in 2020. And according to numerous news reports, the People’s Liberation Army Navy has test-fired its YJ-21 hypersonic missile from its new Type 055 destroyer. 

   Meanwhile, in November, Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile in Ukraine.