The Hsiung Feng I / IA were Taiwanese subsonic antiship missiles based on Israel’s Gabriel missile. They were the first variants developed within the Taiwanese Hsiung Feng missile family, and had a maximum range of 40 km. The Hsiung Feng I only saw two years of service before being replaced by the IA model. The Hsiung Feng IA left operational service in 2012.

Hsiung Feng I / IA Development

The Hsiung Feng I was a reverse-engineered version of Israel’s Gabriel II antiship missile. Taiwan’s Sun Yat-sen Institute and National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology redesigned the missile to include domestically produced components.¹

Taiwan first test-fired the Hsiung Feng I in 1977. Initial production started in 1979.² This original HF-1 design, however, proved problematic. Design flaws with the radar radio frequency altimeter, cooling system, and the rocket motor undermined the missile’s effectiveness. Taiwanese engineers ultimately redesigned the missile to create the Hsiung Feng IA (HF-1A), which went into production in 1981.³

Hsiung Feng IA Specifications

The Hsiung Feng IA had a length of 3.4 m, a body diameter of 0.34 m, and a launch weight of 537.5 kg. The missile carried a 150 kg high-explosive, semi-armor piercing warhead. The HF-1A is solid-fueled and has a range of 40 km. It is inertially guided for midcourse flight and uses semi-active radar guidance for the terminal phase.⁴

Hsiung Feng IA Service History

During its time in service, the Hsiung Feng IA was the main armament for the Taiwanese Navy’s Yang-class destroyers, otherwise known by their U.S.-designation as Gearing-class destroyers.⁵ The United States sold these ships to Taiwan in the early 1970s. The last HF-1As were retired around the end of 2012 and replaced with the Hsiung Feng II.⁶