As the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) deploys J-20 stealth fighters in increasing numbers, Taiwan is fielding mobile passive radar systems to defend its airspace against stealth aircraft, a senior Ministry of National Defense official said.
Two radar units — developed by the ministry-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology — would be deployed some time this year for operational testing, the officials said on condition of anonymity.
The system would enter mass production in 2020 if the military decides that it meets its operational needs, he said.
Photo copied from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Web site
The institute has been working for years to incorporate Western military technological trends in its mobile passive radar system, the official added.
The military’s concept for counter-stealth air defense is comprised of active and passive systems, which would detect, track and lock on to stealth targets at long range, the official said.
The active means would consist of upgraded F-16 warplanes, which have advanced radar systems capable of detecting stealth aircraft, he said, referring to F-16V aircraft and the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar.
The radar systems would comprise the passive end of the system, the official said.
The mobile units will be remotely linked to active phased array radar systems and “magnify” the radar cross-section of detected objects without emitting radiation, he said.
They are less vulnerable to electronic warfare interference and anti-radiation missile attacks, a fact sheet published by the institute said.
China claims that the J-20, its indigenous stealth strike fighter, performs on a par with the US’ F-22 Raptor, the official said, adding that the jet is likely capable of attacking targets at sea.
The radar systems are a response to the threat posed by Chinese stealth fighters, including its modified Su-35 fighters, which the PLAAF has been coating with radiation-absorbing paint to give them a measure of stealth, he said.
While the J-20 is in limited service, there is no doubt that the PLAAF will increase the size of its stealth fighter fleet and supplement it with other warplanes, which would pose a significant threat to Taiwan’s air defense, he said.
“These developments will erode the detection range of our advanced warning radar systems or even lead to the complete loss of advanced warning and quick reaction capabilities,” he said. “The military must plan for and deploy countermeasures to preempt them.”
The PLAAF on Friday last week dispatched formations of Su-35 fighters and H-6K bombers to fly around Taiwan, the first time that the former was sent on such a patrol.
The Chinese military claims that the J-20 has been deployed in air combat drills at sea.
TAKES THE CAKE: Chinese diplomats tried to take photographs of people attending a National Day event in Suva, before reportedly assaulting a Taiwanese diplomat The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned the Chinese embassy in Fiji over a fracas at its Double Ten National Day event at a Suva hotel, while a lawmaker demanded that the ministry file a lawsuit against Chinese embassy personnel for injuring a Taiwanese diplomat at the event. The Grubsheet news blog on Sunday and New Zealand-based Asia-Pacific Report Web site yesterday reported that two members of the Chinese embassy in Suva tried to force their way into a celebration held by the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji at the Grand Pacific Hotel on Oct. 8 to take photographs of
TAIPEI REACTIONS: Joanne Ou decried China’s ‘gangster diplomacy,’ while MOFA said its Fiji counterpart dealt fairly with the incident and protected the trade office’s rights The world should denounce the actions of Chinese embassy staffers in Fiji against a Taiwanese diplomat during a National Day celebration in Suva, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday as it thanked the Fijian government for its help after the Oct. 8 incident. Two Chinese diplomats tried to force their way into a celebration held by the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva on Oct. 8, and a Taiwanese diplomat who tried to stop them taking photographs suffered a head injury. MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a news briefing that the ministry
The US, Japan and Australia conducted trilateral naval exercises in the South China Sea on Monday, the US Seventh Fleet announced yesterday. It was their fifth joint operations this year in the fleet’s area of operations, it said in a statement. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain joined the JS Kirisame of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Arunta. The Arunta’s commanding officer, Commander Troy Duggan, said that Australia was continuing to build on its already close relationship with Japan and the US. “This activity is a valuable and important opportunity for all three nations,”
UPS AND DOWNS: The institute’s annual Asia Power Index says that Taiwan this year has seen one of the biggest gains in diplomatic influences The US remains the top power in the Indo-Pacific, but has suffered the biggest relative fall in its standing in the region over the past year, partly because of the loss of prestige over the mishandling of COVID-19, the Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index shows. Releasing the latest annual results yesterday, the Australia-based foreign policy think tank said while China’s standing had stalled, it remained in second place and was believed to be on track to match the US by the end of this decade. Australia was one of the few countries to gain in the scores of comprehensive power this year,
RSS