WATCH: China Teases Airburst Weapon That Rains Metal Fragments On Battlefields | Firstpost America

[00:00:00]But first, what if a weapon didn't need to score a direct hit to be effective on a battlefield? Instead of exploding when it strikes the ground, it detonates high above its target while still devastating the ground below. Well, that's exactly the capability China is showcasing with its latest steel rain demonstration. And military analysts say it could play an important role in any future conflict over Taiwan. Well, China does not need to cross the Taiwan Strait to use it. It could fire it from the mainland. The People's Liberation Army has released footage of its PHL191, long range rocket artillery system.

[00:00:41]Well, the footage shows what appears to be air burst fragmentation munitions being fired. The PHL191 is China's most advanced multiple launch rocket system.

[00:00:52]It's truckmounted, has eight wheels, and is highly mobile. It can be deployed, fired, and moved within minutes. Each launcher carries two modular pods. Well, the nickname steel rain comes from one specific capability, air burst detonation. Unlike a conventional bomb that explodes on impact with the ground, the PHL191's warhead is programmed to detonate at a specific altitude above the target. And when it detonates in the air, it scatters thousands of metal fragments downward and outwards across a wide area simultaneously. China considers Taiwan as its own territory and has not renounced the use of force to annex the self-ruuled island. And this is where the US comes in. Taiwan relies heavily on American military support as a deterrent against any potential Chinese attack. Taipei has repeatedly opposed China's ambitions.

[00:01:52]>> Taiwan's future cannot be decided by foreign forces, nor can it be held hostage by fear, division, or short-term interests. The future of Taiwan must be determined collectively by its 23 million people.

[00:02:09]Well, in any conflict over Taiwan, China's first objective would be to blind Taiwan's defenses, destroy or disable its radar sites, its air defense batteries, and its airfields. Before Taiwan can get its aircraft into the air, and before the US can respond, the PH191 is designed specifically for that first strike role. China consistently holds large-scale live fire military drills around Taiwan which involve its army, navy, air force, and rocket force as direct displays of power. In December last year, during its justice mission 2025, PLA rocket forces fired live salvos from Fujian province into designated maritime zones north of Taiwan. Taiwan's mainland Affairs Council described it as provocative and a threat to regional stability, but China's foreign ministry said the drills were necessary.

[00:03:08]Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The relevant drills conducted by China's People's Liberation Army are a punitive response to Taiwan independence separatist forces seeking independence by force and a necessary action to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

[00:03:30]>> The question is, if China moved against Taiwan, would America actually come to its defense? Under previous administrations, the answer was assumed to be yes. Under Donald Trump though, that assumption has been shaken. After his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing in May this year, Trump warned Taiwan not to expect a blank check from the US military.

[00:03:52]>> I'm not looking to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war over independence.

[00:03:59]He also declined to commit to releasing a long delayed 14 billion dollar US arms package for Taiwan. A package that had already been preapproved by Congress.

[00:04:10]Xiinping, for his part, warned at the same summit that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push the US and China towards conflict. Trump's own national defense strategy published in January did not mention Taiwan once. The previous version had mentioned it multiple times. Senator James Ris of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee explained what was at stake.

[00:04:37]We all know for Xiinping, asserting China's control over Taiwan is a legacy defining issue. His population is aging. His economy is faltering.

[00:04:49]China needs a victory. And she has set his sights on Taiwan.

[00:04:55]Taiwan is not standing still. It has received 11 US-made Hima's long range rocket systems. 18 more are due before the end of 20th century six. And it's developing its own interception system called Hi Jiang Ling, specifically designed to counter PHL191 rockets. Well, the PHL191 is not just a Taiwan problem. American bases in Japan's southern islands are within range of Chinese rocket artillery systems. US forces in the region would be in the line of fire from the first minutes of any conflict. A bipartisan group of US senators wrote to Trump in May this year making exactly that point.

[00:05:39]The arms and security partnership that we have provided to Taiwan on a bipartisan basis for over four decades serve as an effective bull work against Chinese military action that would plunge the world into a catastrophic war, cause a lasting economic depression, and permanently change the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific to Beijing's advantage.

[00:06:04]So, this isn't just about China having another rocket launcher. It's about China revealing a battlefield strategy, putting down a marker ahead of any potential flash point in the Taiwan Strait. The world doesn't fit in boxes, so why should your news?

[00:06:21]From battlefields to negotiation tables, from internet outrage to real world injustice, >> the conversations everyone is having and the ones they're [music] avoiding. It's the same show, but this new year, First Post America gets a new look. I'm Carrie Johnston and this is First Post America.

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