October 19, 2026: Japan recently developed two new missile systems: a New SSM (island defense missile) and a subsonic, long-range cruise missile designed to evade modern defenses; it can perform barrel rolls and spiral trajectories in the terminal phase to avoid close-in gun systems and radar-guided interceptors. It is powered by a single XKJ301 1 turbofan engine, offering fuel economy and a 360-kilometer range, which will be upgraded to more than 1,000 kilometers. Pop-out main wings in three sections provide lift and stealth. This new SSM is the first step in a series of modular advanced cruise missiles to address foreign threats, particularly China. Regional threats, especially from China.

The Type   25 Anti-Ship Missile is an upgraded Type   12 with a range of about a thousand kilometers. It features a redesigned airframe to reduce its radar signature and improve survivability. A compact turbofan provides propulsion, optimized for low-altitude, long-endurance cruise. These missiles will be based on Japanese islands like Kyushu and other nearby islands, making possible attacks throughout the East China Sea, waters around Taiwan, as well as the Chinese coast.

Japan is also developing an upgraded Type   12 air-launched variant with a thousand-kilometer range, a stealth design, satellite-based navigation, and target updates from Japanese controllers. The ASM 3ER supersonic air-launched anti-ship missile with a range of over 400 kilometers is due next year. This missile can be used against ships and aircraft. These missiles are meant to deal with threats from China and North Korea

Over a decade ago, Taiwan revealed that it is developing yet another land-attack (against China) cruise missile, the Yunfeng. This one doesn't just cruise; it will use ramjet engines that can reach speeds of up to 3,000 kilometers per hour. The new missile will have a 1,200-kilometer range and can reach most key Chinese industrial and military targets in northern and central China. The Yunfeng is expected to enter service next year, and an advanced version will have a 2,000-kilometer range.

Taiwan already has several subsonic cruise missiles. The Hsiung Feng 2E is a 6.1-meter (19-foot-long) cruise missile that weighs a ton (with a 450-pound warhead) and has a top speed of 800 kilometers per hour. Its max range is 600 kilometers. It uses inertial and GPS guidance. The Hsiung Feng 2E was developed from the Hsiung Feng 2 anti-ship missile. It was smaller (0.685 tons) and had a 160-kilometer range. It entered service in the early 1990s, and by the late 1990s, developers were working on turning it into a cruise missile. The Hsiung Feng 2E can be launched from ships or from land and can threaten Chinese targets several hundred kilometers inland.

Then there are the Hsiung Feng 2 and Hsiung Feng 3 anti-ship missiles. Two years ago, Taiwan admitted that its warships were already equipped with the new Hsiung Feng 3 anti-ship missile. The weapon was in development for over a decade, and rumors suggest production began four years ago. Some 300 of these missiles are believed to be in service (aboard ships or in land-based launchers).

Then there is the other fast missile. The 6.1-meter (19-foot) long Hsiung-feng 3 weighs 1.5 tons (with an 181 kg/400-pound warhead) and reaches a top speed of 2,300 kilometers per hour. Its max range is 300 kilometers. It uses inertial and GPS guidance to reach the general vicinity of the target, then uses other sensors to lock onto a specific ship and hit it. The smaller Hsiung-feng 2 has a 160-kilometer range and less advanced electronics.

Taiwan tends to develop its new weapons quietly and then suddenly reveal them. The Hsiung Feng 3, for example, suddenly began showing up in military parades, with little official comment, several years ago. One reason for keeping quiet about new weapons is to keep the press away from embarrassing development problems. The Hsiung-feng 3 also faced additional difficulties after it entered production. The worst of these involved the very high speeds and the damage they caused to some components. For a period, teething problems also reduced the max range to only 150 kilometers.

The Hsiung-feng 3 was installed on destroyers and frigates and later the new 500-ton stealth corvettes. For these ships, designers were asked to fit as many large (for a 500-ton ship) Hsiung-feng 3s as possible (up to eight). They will also carry eight smaller Hsiung-feng 2s. These new corvettes continue a trend in the Taiwanese Navy, which sees small ships carrying many anti-ship missiles as the key to success against the Chinese navy.

These ships and the land bases for cruise missiles will be prime targets for over 1,400 Chinese ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. For that reason, Taiwan has developed mobile launchers for land-based missiles and keeps its missile-armed warships at sea as much as possible.