Taiwan's army showed off American-supplied training simulators for shoulder-fired Stinger missiles for the first time, a sign of how fast the island is building up its air defenses against China.

• Soldiers train with VR headsets and real launcher hardware, tracking and firing at simulated enemy aircraft.
• To qualify as a shooter, a trainee has to hit the target 8 times out of 10; higher scores earn top marks noted on their certificate.
• The simulated enemy planes are modeled on the Chinese military's main frontline fighters.
• The same event displayed HIMARS rocket launchers, Sky Sword II missile trucks, and Bee Eye radar — much of Taiwan's recent US-backed arms buildup in one place.
• Simulators cut live-fire costs while letting crews rehearse the full engagement in realistic battlefield conditions.

Outlook: Qualified shooters move on to live-fire drills, and Taiwan will keep publicizing these upgrades as a deterrence signal to Beijing.