Taiwan fires rockets in China's direction from a U.S.-supplied mobile launching system in drill

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TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's military fired rockets in China's direction from “shoot-and-scoot” mobile launchers on Wednesday in a demonstration of how it might try to repel a Chinese attack.

While the U.S.-supplied system known as HIMARS has been tested before, the latest live-fire exercise was the first time its rockets were fired into the waters of the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the self-governing island from China.

“Due to the current enemy threat, we will continue HIMARS training with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation’s strongest force,” army Sgt, Wang Ming-hui said.

The military said it used reduced-range training rockets, which don't fly very far off the coast before going into the water.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and says it must come under its control at some point in the future. It sends warships and planes into the skies and waters near the island almost every day and has held major military exercises in its vicinity in recent years. The United States does not recognize Taiwan as a country, but it opposes any change to its status by force and is its main supplier of weaponry for its defense.

HIMARS, which stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is a truck-mounted pod of rockets that can be driven out from a hidden position to fire its missiles, then quickly taken to a new hiding place in what are called “shoot-and-scoot” tactics.

They were fired on the second day of exercises on Taiwan's west coast, which faces China. The drills, which also included 155mm howitzers, simulated a response to a Chinese invasion and were designed to test rapid deployment and precision-strike capabilities.

The HIMARS was the centerpiece of the drill. After receiving a firing order, the vehicle maneuvered into position and launched its rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating its “shoot-and-scoot” mobility.

The U.S. announced plans in December to sell 82 more HIMARS to Taiwan as part of a major arms deal, but that package appears to have been put on hold after President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.