An early-morning missile test at Taiwan's Jiupeng base in Pingtung veered inland and crashed in the mountains — bad news for the military's credibility and frightening for nearby villagers, though nobody was hurt.

• A missile fired from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology's Jiupeng base turned sharply instead of flying out to sea, then fell into hills near a village.
• Residents heard a loud bang, watched the smoke trail bend the wrong way, and shouted that it was heading for the village.
• It landed in empty mountain terrain, causing no injuries and no damage to homes.
• Locals are demanding the military and the institute explain what went wrong, saying drills should not put villages at risk.
• Some military watchers think the object was a target drone rather than a missile.

Outlook: The military and the research institute are under pressure to publish a cause quickly, and further tests at the site will likely face closer local scrutiny.