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Taiwan

Taiwan is planning to deploy a land-attack cruise missile capable of striking China later this year. The missile in question is the Hsiung Sheng, with a range of 1,200 kilometers (745 miles). It's reported that 100 of these missiles are under consideration for deployment.

The Hsiung Sheng missile, an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng-IIE, has been in production since 2022 and underwent its first test last year. It's developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

According to reports, the missile has the capability to strike Chinese military bases, including those in the eastern and western theater command areas. It's equipped with high-explosive and fragmentation warheads, making it effective against targets such as command posts, bunkers, and airport runways.

The procurement of these missiles is part of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense's special budget totaling 484 billion New Taiwan dollars ($15.05 billion) for the acquisition of advanced weaponry from 2022 to 2026. Specifically, around 16.9 billion New Taiwan dollars ($534.93 million) from this budget has been allocated for the procurement of 131 Hsiung Sheng missiles by 2025.