Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 24, 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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
×