A Taiwanese manufacturer has become part of the US-made MIM-104F (PAC-3) Patriot missile supply chain after passing appraisals from the weapon’s developer, sources said, adding that the company has received NT$800 million (US$25.3 million) in international orders.
“Although the PAC-3 missile is an American product, it has Taiwanese technology in its ‘DNA,’” said a high-ranking military official who declined to be named, adding that the local manufacturer has exceptionally good radar-tracking signal management technology that the US contractors wanted.
The radar signal management technology was developed at the Ministry of National Defense-affiliated National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and started out as a military product before being released for commercial use, the official said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The high-speed digital signal management software module was released to a large domestic software company, which then used it in domestic and international military equipment orders, the official said, adding that these orders included the PAC-3 after it passed appraisals by US-based companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
The official said the high-speed software is essential to interception and defense capabilities, adding that the Taiwanese software not only received recognition from foreign firms, but is also used in the Tien Kung III (Sky Bow III) surface-to-air missile system.
Institute vice director Major General Chang Kuan-chun (張冠群) led the institute’s first delegation to an international aerospace exhibition in Japan from Wednesday last week through Saturday.
The delegation exhibited 34 domestically developed defense technology products, including the Tien Kung III, Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, and medium and large-sized automated drone systems.
The institute said it aims to improve international recognition of Taiwanese defense technology and improve cooperation with international manufacturers in producing both civilian and military products.
The missile system’s technology can be combined with other weapons and communications systems according to customer requirements, the institute said, adding that Taiwanese manufacturers are able to make complete aerospace systems.
Taiwan, South Korea and Japan deploy PAC-3 missile defense systems, the official said, adding that the institute was approached about the design and capabilities of the technology many times over the course of the exhibition.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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