Sky Horse () is a ballistic missile developed secretly by

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

in the late 1970s, with a considerable number being produced.

Development

Sky Horse was developed by the

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST; ) is a Taiwanese state owned corporation, formerly part of the Republic of China Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau, which is active in the development, manufactur ...

(CSIST), and was associated with the country's then-secret nuclear weapons program. With a range of 600-950 kilometres, it would have been capable of striking pre-emptively at ports, airfields or missile bases on the

Mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

in an arc from Shanghai to Zhanjiang. The Sky Horse was to be the primary delivery vehicle for the Taiwanese nuclear weapons. The secondary delivery vehicle was planned to be the then in development

AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo The AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo (), commonly known as the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), is a multirole combat aircraft named after Chiang Ching-kuo, the late President of the Republic of China. The aircraft made its first flight in 1989. It ent ...

Project cancellation

The Sky Horse project was cancelled partly due to pressure from the USA, and partly so that the CSIST could concentrate on the

Sky Bow The Sky Bow, or Tien Kung (), are a series of surface-to-air anti-ballistic missile and anti-aircraft defense systems developed by Taiwan. The TK-2 and TK-3 are in service with the Military of the Republic of China. Development The development of ...

missile. There were calls to revive the program in response to China's missile threats during 1995 and 1996. A senior Taiwanese official admitted that Taiwan was 'taken aback by China's moves', and there were fears that these could lead to an arms race.

General characteristics

* Length: > 20 metres * Propellant: Solid fuel * Range: Estimated 600 – 950km * Guidance: Inertial * Launch platform: Land-based *Payload: ~ 350kg

References

{{National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) aircraft Theatre ballistic missiles Military history of Taiwan Surface-to-surface missiles Nuclear weapons program of the Republic of China Ballistic missiles of Taiwan