The US Defense Department said on Thursday that it would supply Taiwan with key elements of a missile and air defense capability, a move aimed at defusing the threat from China.
Raytheon Co won a US Air Force contract worth up to US$752 million to supply the Early Warning Surveillance Radar by September 2009, the Pentagon said.
The system will let Taiwan's air force detect and track long- and short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, enemy aircraft and surface ships with "no doubt" reliability, said Raytheon, based in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The system includes an ultra-high frequency "phased array" radar that will be integrated with Taiwanese-supplied beacons that identify aircraft as friends or foes as well as two missile warning centers, a Defense Department contract announcement said.
Raytheon began exploratory talks with Taiwan on the project in 1996, said Dan Martin, vice president, Surveillance and Sensor Systems, Integrated Defense Systems, Raytheon's "joint battlespace integration" company.
Such a system represents an important step toward identifying any inbound threats, said James Mulvenon of the Center for Research and Analysis, a Washington group that consults for US intelligence agencies.
Eventually, it could be mated with Patriot Advanced Capability 3 anti-missile batteries the US has also offered to sell Taiwan.
"The surveillance radar is the first step in the chain of engagement," Martin said. "We're proud to be selected ... to provide Taiwan with an early warning capability that will be a key element of its integrated air and missile defense system."
Mulvenon said Beijing would be particularly upset because missiles were at the forefront of its strategy for coercing Taiwan.
"This raises the possibility that Taiwan will actually be able to defend itself against those missiles," Mulvenon said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation. “With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he
‘IMPORTANCE OF PEACE’: President Lai was welcomed by AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and others President William Lai (賴清德) was feted with red carpets, garlands of flowers and “alohas” as he began his two-day stopover in Hawaii on Saturday, part of a Pacific tour. Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai flitted around the US island state, visiting the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawaii’s leading museum of natural history and native Hawaiian culture, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Lai was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, his office said, adding that it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such
REGIONAL STABILITY: The arms sale to Taiwan is the 18th approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration and the sixth since William Lai was elected president on Jan. 13 The US government on Friday announced arms sales involving spare parts and support for F-16 fighter aircraft and follow-up support for Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), at a total cost of US$387 million. It is the 18th arms sale approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration to Taiwan and the sixth since the nation’s presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of the latest arms sale on Friday. The proposed arms sale is consistent with US law and policy as expressed in Public Law
The Mainland Affairs Council and lawmakers yesterday accused a visiting Chinese university student of denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty by referring to the national baseball team that won a first-ever Premier12 title as “China, Taipei team” (中國台北隊). “We deeply regret the Chinese student’s words, that have hurt the feelings of Taiwanese... The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, as the organizers, should remind group members not to use inappropriate words and behavior,” a council statement said. “We hope these young Chinese can accurately observe the true views of Taiwanese, which would be a positive development for interactions between young people on the two sides of the Taiwan
RSS