Taipei, July 14 -- The Taiwanese army's 21st Artillery Command conducted a short-range air defence drill in Taoyuan yesterday as part of the Han Kuang exercises, deploying the indigenous Sky Sword II missile system for the first time in the drills, Taipei Times reported.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, the armed forces have been conducting a series of live-fire and defence exercises across multiple regions, simulating responses to a full-scale assault by Chinese forces. The Sky Sword II missile system was rapidly deployed and declared combat-ready within 15 minutes to defend Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in a simulated attack scenario.

A three-person crew completed the setup and launch preparations swiftly, using r...