Taiwan test-fires Sky Sword II air-defence system

A mock-up of the Sky Sword II – locally known as TC-2 land-based missile – is pictured at TADTE 2023. The missile structure consists of the active radar seeker, followed by the electronics section, proximity fuze, warhead, and rocket motor, ending in the exhaust. (Janes/Kapil Kajal )

The Republic of China Army (RoCA) test-fired a land-based short-to-medium-range air-defence system known as the Sky Sword II for the first time in Pingtung County, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) said via its Military News Agency on 16 April.

The test was conducted by the RoCA's 43rd Artillery Command and 21st Artillery Command to verify the effectiveness of the system, the MND said. The Sky Sword II system “successfully hit the target” during the test, the MND added.

Sky Sword II is a medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM) for Taiwan's fighter aircraft. Based on the Sky Sword II AAM design, the island's state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) developed a land-based Sky Sword II air-defence system and a naval variant known as Sky Sword II N.

An NCSIST official told Janes in September 2023 that “a limited number” of Sky Sword II systems have been delivered to the RoCA and the institute was mass producing six additional systems for the RoCA.

According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence , a Sky Sword II system comprises one CS/MYS-951 Battle Management Center (BMC), five missile firing units (MFUs), and one CS/MPQ-951 radar unit (RU).

The system's missile has a length of 3.59 mm and a diameter of 190 mm, and it can hit a maximum range and altitude of 30 km and 20 km respectively.

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