Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen visited the self-defense force base on Penghu island in the Taiwan Strait on September 22, in the context that Beijing last week sent nearly 40 fighters and bombers close to Taiwan.
During Ms. Tsai’s visit, Taiwan’s armed forces displayed the Van Kiem air-to-ground cruise missile, one of the weapons expected to deter and prevent potential attacks on the island.
The Van Kiem missile was displayed during the visit of the Taiwanese leader on September 22.
Van Kiem was developed specifically by the Chung-Shan Institute of Technology and Science for Taiwan’s domestic F-CK-1 fighter.
Van Kiem can carry high-explosive, semi-armour-piercing or sub-warheads with a maximum weight of 350 kg, allowing it to attack a variety of ground and sea targets.
In peacetime, the presence of Van Kiem missiles on Penghu Island serves Taipei’s deterrence strategy, forcing Beijing to think carefully when planning an attack on Taiwan island.
F-CK-1 fighter carrying two Van Kiem weapons under the wings for a test flight in 2013. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
F-CK-1 fighter units stationed in Penghu can launch lightning strikes on targets such as airports, seaports, radar stations and missile bases on the mainland, as well as neutralize
However, this is only theoretical because the base on Penghu Island could suffer fierce air strikes by ballistic and cruise missiles from the mainland if a conflict broke out.
The base in Penghu has been operational since 1997, playing a frontline role in Taiwan’s response to mainland Chinese forces.
Location of Penghu Island in the Taiwan Strait.
An unnamed senior Taiwanese official said that fighter squadrons at Penghu now deploy fighter interceptors `almost every day` when tensions are high.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on September 21 declared that Taiwan `is an inseparable part of China’s territory` and `the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait does not exist.`
