Live-fire rocket shooting biggest highlight of ‘Strait Thunder-2025A’ drills: expert

The ground force of the theater command conducted long-range live-fire drills in waters of the East China Sea according to training plans of the "Strait Thunder-2025A" exercise on Wednesday, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, announced on Wednesday.

The drills involve precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities, and have achieved desired effects, Shi said

The WeChat account of the PLA Eastern Theater Command further elaborated on the desired effects of the live-fire shooting: controlling energy lanes, cutting off supply routes, and blocking escape paths, as thunderous strikes as seen in the live-fire shooting will firmly slash the “green terror” path of “independence.”

“The biggest highlight of today’s drills is the long-range live-fire drills, which served as a powerful deterrence against the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces. After years of development, the PLA’s comprehensive capabilities kept on rising, as its ability to fight and win continues to increase, sufficient enough to smash the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces into pieces,” Fu Zhengnan, an expert at the PLA’s Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

A video released by the PLA Eastern Theater Command showed that a brigade affiliated with the army of the theater command received orders to advance, as multiple modular rocket launcher systems rapidly mobilized to preset positions.

The unit responsible for the mission has participated in multiple military operations against “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces. It was given the honor of being a model rocket artillery company by the Central Military Commission in July last year.

The modular rocket launcher system is dubbed a “cross-Straits killing machine”, and it has six significant advantages, according to Fu.

First, it has a long range, capable of reaching hundreds of kilometers and covering the entire island of Taiwan. Second, it offers high precision, achieved through advanced guidance technologies that enable a margin of error of less than one meter within in 300 kilometers, making it fully capable of accurately targeting key locations on the island and leaving “Taiwan independence” forces with nowhere to run or hide. Third, it possesses strong firepower, as a single barrage can deliver dozens of munitions of different types, creating powerful fire coverage and destructive effects, deterring “Taiwan independence” forces on the island, Fu said.

Fourth, it has high mobility due to its relatively small size, making it easy to hide and leading to strong survivability on the battlefield. Fifth, it is multipurpose, capable of conducting missions against both sea and land targets simultaneously. Sixth, it offers high cost-efficiency, as its cost is lower than that of conventional missiles, allowing for deployment in large numbers, the expert said.

With the long-range modular rocket launcher systems, the “Strait Thunder-2025A” exercises are characterized by high levels of actual combat orientation, precision strike efficiency and deterrent effect, Fu said, noting that they demonstrate the PLA’s constant preparedness for combat, just like a sharp sword or heavy hammer hovering over the heads of the “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces. This move clearly tells Lai Ching-te and alike that “Taiwan independence” means war, and those who play with fire will get themselves burned.