Early morning on the 20th, Taiwan's military organized air and naval forces for a live-fire test off the eastern coast, during which an unexpected incident occurred—a missile self-destructed 4 seconds after launch.
According to reports from Liberty Times and BCC News Network, between 3 and 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Taiwan's military test-fired Hsiung Feng anti-ship missiles, Standard-1 air defense missiles, and the air force also tested Patriot air defense missiles as well as Sky Bow and Sky Sword series missiles. Almost all missiles accurately struck their targets, except for an American-made Patriot-2 missile launched at 5:34 a.m., which self-destructed just 4 seconds after launch. One minute later, a second missile of the same type was launched successfully.
The reports stated that this is the second time since 2023 that a Patriot missile has malfunctioned during live-fire drills.
Some military bloggers analyzed that the Patriot-2 missile has been in service since 1996, serving for over 20 years. Aging propellants or failures in the radar guidance system may have been the main causes for the self-destruction, further highlighting the importance of not arbitrarily cutting the defense budget.
Taiwan’s military privately stated that live-fire exercises aim to verify the results of combat readiness training, and regardless of the outcome, all data is recorded and analyzed in depth to enhance preparedness. Such incidents do not impact the overall value of the exercise, and an investigation into the self-destruction event will be conducted to assess system reliability and expedite the update of old equipment.
On August 15, 2023, Taiwan’s military test-fired two Patriot-2 missiles, one of which self-destructed in midair after launch.