Taiwan has publicly introduced images of the AGM-114 Hellfire system installed on a civilian van, which strengthens the signals that the country is investing in mobile, unobtrusive and quickly deployable platforms to avert a possible Chinese amphibic attack.
The video published by the Ministry of National Defense Taiwan shows a seemingly common commercial delivery equipped with a hidden launcher and a sliding sighting rod that folds over the roof of the vehicle, which makes it virtually unrecognizable in civilian operation.
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Although the Taiwaist authorities have not revealed how many of these units are in operation even whether they are part of a wider secret program, local military analysts point out that the system is ideal for traffic on coastal roads and urban areas moving unobtrusively until the launch.
The launching device can be quickly deployed to intervene with airborne ships, amphibition vehicles and other threats on the surface thanks to integrated electro-optical and infrared sensors that allow detection and focusing of targets independently, without the need for external data. After the attack, the system folds down the launcher and returns to the camouflage, making it difficult to detect.
This initiative is part of the Taiwanese defensive strategy that prefers mobile, surviving and low-sized systems against exceeding forces, using mountain topography and the density of the island’s population.
Experts compare this platform with improvised solutions that have been seen in recent conflicts, for example in Ukraine, where Brimstone missiles were released from uninterrupted trucks against the Russian forces. This type of adaptation provides high firepower at low cost and reduced vulnerability to preventive attacks.
Source and pictures: Ministry of National Defense Taiwan (ROC). This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
