The air force yesterday confirmed that it has requested the purchase of additional Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors from the US to counter a growing Chinese threat to national security, while the Control Yuan sought corrections to the paperwork.
The missiles are to be delivered in 2025 or 2026, and be deployed by the end of 2026, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan.
Sources in the air force declined to comment on budget allocations for the missiles, or the number to be purchased.
Photo: AP
The report said that the request was made in 2019.
The missiles’ “revolutionary two-pulse solid rocket motor provides increased performance in both altitude and range while employing the same proven hit-to-kill,” said the Web site of Lockheed-Martin, which manufactures the weapons system. “The two-pulse solid rocket motor and enhanced airframe gives the interceptor more maneuverability against faster and more sophisticated tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.”
Taiwan received its first PAC-2 systems in 1997, with upgrades to PAC-3 being implemented since 2007.
Taiwan has deployed more than 400 PAC-3 missiles.
However, the Control Yuan passed a motion to issue the ministry with a corrective measure notice, citing “faulty procedures” regarding the paperwork for the purchase of the missiles.
The military issues regular recertification requests to the US to keep its equipment up to date and well-maintained, the Control Yuan said, but added that the 2019 request for yesterday’s proposed purchase had not been signed by the minister of national defense.
The legislature only learned of the purchase proposal after it was approved for committee hearings at the US Congress, a Control Yuan report said, adding that it has issued the corrective measure notice so that it could oversee changes to administrative procedures for arms purchases.
Separately, the ministry also confirmed that the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has fulfilled its quota for this year of 23 Tien Kung (Skybow) 3 missiles.
The ministry had commissioned the institute to provide Skybow missiles yearly from 2015 to 2024, in a NT$74.83 billion (US$2.62 billion at the current exchange rate) contract.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2019 asked the institute to expedite production of the Tien Kung and Hsiung Feng missiles series without sacrificing quality.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) told the Central News Agency that Skybow-3s have a higher intercept altitude than PAC-3s, although the PAC-3s have better precision.
The systems complement each other, Su said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS