London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Part of Taiwan’s most advanced anti-ship missile sent to mainland China for repairs

Part of Taiwan’s most advanced anti-ship missile sent to mainland China for repairs

The Swiss manufacturer Leica has a repair facility in Shandong province and it was sent there after it was returned to the maker for repairs
Taiwan’s top military research unit on Wednesday denied there had been any data leaks after it confirmed that a key component of its most advanced locally developed missile has been sent to mainland China for repairs.

Earlier local media had reported that a theodolite – a precision optical instrument – from the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile had been sent to Shandong province for repair.

On Wednesday, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) said the theodolite had been bought in 2021 from Swiss company Leica and it was sent back to the manufacturer for repair recently.

The agency said the unit’s memory storage cards had been removed before it was sent back and it had asked the agent to send the part to Switzerland.

But after the repaired theodolite was returned, it was found that the unit had been sent to Taiwan from an airport in Shandong.

Leica explained that its maintenance centre for Asia is in the east coast city of Qingdao so it had been sent there for repairs, the NCSIST said.

“The NCSIST immediately ran an information security check on the equipment and made sure no malware had been installed, thus effectively clearing security concerns,” the statement said.

The NCSIST also said that it was discussing measures to make sure that similar sensitive equipment would not be sent to mainland China for maintenance in the future for national security reasons.

A theodolite is a precision optical instrument for measuring angles between designated points.

Following local media reports that the part might contain information such as the locations of missile positions, the NCSIST stressed that the theodolite in question is used to launch the missiles, not for flight control positioning.

The incident underscores the interdependence of economies in a globalised environment.

Taiwan’s Chinese-language Mirror Media Weekly, which broke the story, said that Chinese-made semiconductor chips and parts were used in other NCSIST products, including a surveillance system.

The NCSIST however said no essential components for its other products were sourced from mainland China.

The Hsiung Feng III, or Brave Wind 3, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile and has been touted as the island’s best way of deterring an attack from the PLA Navy.

The missile has an operating range of 400km (320 miles) and is believed to be able to reach a maximum range of 1,500km with boosters. It can also attack targets on land.

The Hsiung Feng III was first tested in 1997, and it has been deployed on the Taiwanese navy’s Kang Ding and Cheng Kung-class frigates since 2007.

In 2016, a Hsiung Feng III misfired during a training exercise, hitting a fishing boat about 75km away, killing the captain and injuring its three crew members.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×