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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Taiwan unveils first missile jointly developed with American arms
company
By Wayne Chang, Nectar Gan, CNN
Updated:
5:48 AM EDT, Thu September 18, 2025
Source: CNN
Taiwan has unveiled a prototype cruise missile, developed jointly with
a US arms maker and set to be manufactured on the island, as it tries
to build up its weapons industry to deter any possible military threats
from China.
The government-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and
Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan’s top arms manufacturer, showcased the
“low-cost autonomous cruise missile” it developed together with
Anduril Industries, a relative newcomer to the ranks of American
defense contractors, ahead of the island’s largest defense expo that
began Thursday.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to seize it –
by force if necessary. Under leader Xi Jinping, China has intensified
military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan, regularly sending
fighter jets and warships, looking to squeeze its presence on the world
stage.
In the face of the China threat, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te recently
announced that Taiwan will raise defense spending to 5% of its GDP
before 2030.
Adapted from Anduril’s Barracuda-500, an autonomous, low-cost
loitering ammunition launched from aircraft that is undergoing tests by
the US military, the new land-mobile missile can be used against
targets at sea or on land. NCSIST did not give a range for the missile.
Taiwan aims to roll out the production line of the missile in the next
year and a half, capping the cost per missile at approximately
$216,000, NCSIST President Li Shih-chiang, told reporters on Wednesday.
“The entire supply chain of the missile will be in Taiwan. That is
the overall direction of all future cooperation,” Li said.
The NCSIST also displayed a prototype of an underwater drone and an
underwater autonomous mobile mine that it aims to jointly develop and
produce with Anduril.
Washington is Taiwan’s main international backer and security
guarantor and for decades has been the primary supplier of weapons to
Taipei. In recent years, however, US deliveries have been slowed as
demand for weapons worldwide has surged, straining American
manufacturers.
CNN has reached out to the Pentagon and Anduril for comment.
Li, president of NCSIST, added that the institute will sign two
contracts and four memorandums of understanding with six US and
Canadian companies during the three-day defense trade show.
During a visit to Taiwan last month, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey
hailed the island’s manufacturing capabilities and technological
prowess.
“Taiwan is on the verge of a techno industrial renaissance in
national defense, one that’s built on top of its techno industrial
renaissance in consumer electronics, in industrial electronics, one
that’s made Taiwan the envy of the world,” Luckey said.
China warns against interference
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun lashed out at “external military
interference” on Taiwan at an annual defense forum in Beijing on
Thursday.
“We will never allow any separatist plot for Taiwan independence to
succeed, and we stand ready to thwart any external military
interference at any time,” Dong told defense officials, military
personnel and scholars gathered at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
Dong also condemned “Cold War mentality, hegemonism and
protectionism” – phrases that Beijing has long used to criticize
the US – and called for countries to stand up against “bullying
acts.”
Last week, Dong raised the issue of Taiwan – the reddest of red lines
for Beijing – in his first call with US Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth, warning that any attempt to use the island to contain China is
“doomed to fail.”
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