On July 1, the navy accidentally fired a Hsiung-Feng III missile at 8:15 am during a training session at the southern Tsoying naval base. The missile landed in waters off Penghu Island about two minutes later, ripping through a fishing boat, killing the boat’s captain, and injuring three other fishermen on board. The military said the warhead did not explode because the materials used to build the fishing boat like wood and fiberglass were unable to light the fuse.
The missile was developed by the National Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, an executive agency supervised by the defense ministry. On October 10th, 2007, the indigenous missile was introduced to the public for the first time during Taiwan’s national day celebrations.
With a range of 100 kilometers, the 6.1-meter long missile weighs 1,500 kilograms and costs less than NT$100 million (US$3.3 million) per unit. The missile, equipped with the Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) capabilities, is composed of three parts: warhead, propulsion, and guidance, and control.
Taiwan has 120 Hsiung Fung III missiles and the missile system has already been deployed to Cheng Kung class frigates and Jin Chiang class patrol gunboats.
The navy said last week’s accident was caused by human error as servicemen did not follow standard operating procedures. The missile did not cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait.