Taiwan conducted its first live-fire drill using the US-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) on Wednesday, launching rockets into the Taiwan Strait in the direction of mainland China. The exercise marks a significant milestone in Taiwan's military readiness, as the advanced precision rocket system — capable of striking targets at distances of up to 80 kilometres — has not previously been fired in the strait. The drill signals Taiwan's growing reliance on US weaponry as tensions with Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its own territory, remain elevated.