Taipei: Taiwan’s military has strengthened its self-defense capability by establishing a new company equipped with the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), according to Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo. Koo highlighted the importance of this development during a formation ceremony held in Taichung, emphasizing that the unit represents a significant boost to the nation’s defensive strength, aimed at deterring potential adversaries from initiating conflict.
According to Focus Taiwan, the newly formed HIMARS unit is part of the Army’s 58th Artillery Command and marks Taiwan’s first such unit. It comprises top-performing soldiers who have undergone training in the United States. The HIMARS system is versatile, capable of being equipped with either a pod of six 227mm rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which boasts a range of up to 300 kilometers.
Taiwan has procured 29 HIMARS launchers from the U.S., with the first batch of 11 expected to be delivered in 2024. On May 12, the 58th Artillery Command conducted the inaugural live-fire HIMARS drill at Jiupeng Base in Manjhou Township, Pingtung County. Further testing of the system was carried out by the Army Command Headquarters in June.