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Military still plans to buy US Patriot PAC-III batteries

Calling the system essential for the construction of a missile-defense shield for Taiwan, the military says it has not canceled its plan to buy Patriot PAC-III missile systems from the US. Media reports had suggested recently that the plan to buy the new Patriot system might be ditched over budget constraints.

If enough funds are available, the military plans to buy three Patriot PAC-III batteries to counter the ballistic-missile threat posed by China.

The military is scheduled to resume talks this year with the US over the purchase of the system, which the US has already agreed to sell to Taiwan, according to a defense source who declined to be named.

"If the two sides can reach agreement on the deal, the first Patriot PAC-III battery is expected to be delivered to Taiwan within two years," the defense source said.

The arrival of the Patriot PAC-III will enhance the military's defensive capability as the Patriot PAC-II Plus system currently in service in Taiwan has only limited capabilities against ballistic missiles.

Taiwan has three Patriot PAC-II missile batteries deployed in the greater Taipei area. The new Patriot PAC-III batteries are scheduled to be deployed in central and southern parts of Taiwan.

"Eastern Taiwan could also be a deployment site for the new missile system," an army official said. "The military has not made a final decision on where to place the missile batteries."

The Patriot PAC-III system is considered essential for the construction of a missile-defense shield for Taiwan.

Such a shield would comprise a long-range early-warning radar system as well as land or sea-based missile interceptors.

The Patriot PAC-III is to be the military's land-based missile interceptor. It is not known what kind of sea-based missile interceptor Taiwan is seeking to obtain from the US.

Chang Li-teh (張立德), a senior editor with Defense Technology Monthly magazine, said he remains skeptical over whether the Patriot PAC-III system could serve as an effective defense against a ballistic-missile attack.

"The Patriot PAC-III is the lowest-tier missile-defense system now being constructed by the US. It remains to be proven whether this is a mature product," Chang said.

"But if the government really wants to build a missile-defense shield, the Patriot PAC-III might meet the basic requirements," he said. "To make the Patriot PAC-III system effective against ballistic missiles from China, the military needs to couple it with a long-range early-warning radar system."

Reports have surfaced suggesting that the military might have aborted its plan to buy a land-based long-range early-warning radar system that the US had agreed to sell to Taiwan during the Bill Clinton administration.

"We certainly need such a radar system. Without it, the effective range of the Patriot PAC-III batteries will be greatly reduced," Chang said.

"But the long-range early-warning radar system will itself become a priority target for Chinese missiles. It would very likely be destroyed in a first-wave missile strike by China," he said.
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