Taiwan to Test New Air Defense Missile System: Sky Sword II

Written by Kevin Williams | April 8, 2024

Sky Sword II missile

On April 9 Taiwan’s military is scheduled to test their new mobile air defense system, the Sky Sword II (locally called Tien Chien II). The Sky Sword II system comprises of wheeled ground vehicles equipped with missile firing units (MFU). Taiwan’s new system, which will replace the much older American MIM-72 Chaparral, expands its effective surface-to-air range to 15 kilometers. Three of the new missiles will be test-fired at Jiupeng Base in Pingtung. In addition to the Sky Sword II’s debut, the live-fire drills will include Hellfire and Javelin missiles, as well as the locally built Thunderbolt-2000 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). 

The new missile system, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), marks another step in Taiwan’s move toward growing its domestic defense industry. Taiwan’s Army plans to initially buy 30 mobile missile launchers along with support vehicles and missiles, totaling 8.8 billion New Taiwan Dollars ($278 million). Taiwan’s Sky Sword II will deploy alongside their American-made Avenger air defense vehicles. The Avenger comprises of a dual-mount stinger launcher attached to a Humvee chassis. The complimentary ranges of both air defense systems are expected to give Taiwan greater layered interception capabilities at short to medium range.