Taiwan is rethinking its use of US-made anti-tank missiles after less than half hit their targets in recent combat drills

In response to concerns raised about the weapon’s accuracy during the training exercise, Taiwanese military officials said the point of the exercise was to help soldiers become familiar with the weapons rather than accuracy and proper performance, per CNA. The meeting on the missiles is expected to be held next week.

Monday and Tuesday’s exercises, which were carried out on a beach in southern Pingtung county near the Taiwan Strait, focused on Taiwan training to use the TOW missiles to target what, in a real war, would be Chinese amphibious assault vehicles. The goal was to help Taiwan’s soldiers prepare for what a Chinese invasion could look like.

During the drills, Taiwanese troops fired older TOW missiles from newer launchers on M1167 Humvees toward floating targets, launching weapons in the day and night. Taiwan has bought 1,700 missiles and 100 launchers from the US, with the delivery expected to be completed later this year.

The appeal of TOW missiles is their mobility and flexibility. With launchers mounted on military vehicles, like Humvees, Taiwan can easily drive its anti-tank weapons along its beaches to target a potential Chinese invasion force.

Taiwan faces a range of threats from China, from invasion to blockade. Analysts looking at these threats have often discussed the need for Taiwan to employ lower-cost, asymmetric weapons, such as sea mines, in order to deter China’s large and well-equipped military. But conventional assets are also key.

Taiwan is also hard at work on a domestically built submarine force, earmarking billions of dollars in its upcoming budget to build seven more vessels in the next 14 years.