Taipei [Taiwan], May 18 (ANI): Taiwan has completed the initial operation evaluation and limited field testing of its military's new Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles, as reported by Taipei Times on Sunday.

Citing a defence official, Taipei Times said that the Tien Kung IV missile is expected to be mass-produced from next year.

The missiles, which have been created by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology's Strong Bow program, is a new air defence weapon with a maximum altitude of 70km, a source told Taipei Times on condition of anonymity.

Notably, this marks a significant improvement over the previous Tien Kung III and the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement systems, which have maximum altitudes of 45km and 60km respectively, the sources cited said.

This latest advancement allows Tien Kung IV to intercept high-flying cruise missiles and ballistic missiles with a higher probability of success.

Although the quantity of Tien Kung IV systems to be purchased is yet to be decided, it was reported that the Tien Kung III system's mass production would cease early next year, as its NT USD 27.4 billion (USD 908.1 million) budget is expected to be all but exhausted by December, as per sources referred to by Taipei Times.

It was also reported that Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence aims to develop two additional weapon systems with the Strong Bow program, which would include an air defence missile with a maximum altitude of 100km and a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 1,000km.

In a notable development, sources familiar with the matter informed Taipei Times that the armed forces are planning to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP to meet US targets.

'The ministry has a NT USD 247.2 billion special budget to buy 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets and a NT USD 388.3 billion special budget on various domestically manufactured missile systems', Taipei Times said.

The sources told Taipei Times that by 2026, the ministry plans to allocate NT USD 116.4 billion to harden military telecommunications hubs and command centres, and improve training facilities as part of the Cabinet's special project to bolster national resilience. The ministry also plans to allocate NT USD 500 billion to buy US arms, with a plan to be unveiled in late August, they said.

Increasing its strength, it was reported that the armed forces would invest in other domestic programs, including Albatross uncrewed aerial vehicles, second-generation Kestrel anti-armor rocket launchers and launching more assembly lines for 155mm artillery shells.

This development follows after Taiwan had conducted a series of test firing of several Land Sword II, that possesses the capability of countering varied aerial threats and American-supplied high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) at a base in Pingtung County in recent times.

The Taiwan-China issue is a complex and longstanding geopolitical conflict centred on Taiwan's sovereignty. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), operates its own government, military, and economy, functioning as a de facto independent state.

However, China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and insists on the 'One China' policy, which asserts that there is only one China, with Beijing as its capital.

This has fuelled decades of tension, especially since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), when the ROC government retreated to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China.

Beijing has consistently expressed its goal of reunification with Taiwan, using diplomatic, economic, and military pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally. (ANI)