The US is to sell Taiwan four sets of Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), which can be integrated with systems Taiwan already uses, including the domestically developed Tien Chien II (Sky Sword) missile system, a source said yesterday.
The NASAMS can also be integrated with the US-made Avenger vehicle-launched air-defense missile system, which Taiwan also uses, through the use of a Link 16 military data link, the source said.
The NASAMS would be used to defend key areas, including military airports and government sites in Taipei, the source said.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
Whether Taiwan would acquire the NASAMS through the US$2 billion in direct loans for military purposes stipulated in the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act signed by US President Joe Biden last year, or the US$10 billion of grants over five years stipulated in the US’ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, remained unclear, the source said.
However, the NASAMS are expected to be delivered next year, they said.
“NASAMS combines the MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, compatibility with multiple types of short and medium-range air defense missiles, and the Link 16 military tactical data link network used by NATO,” the source said. “It is a powerful ground-to-air defense system that can defend against aircraft up to 50km away.”
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
Missiles compatible with NASAMS include the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the AMRAAM Extended Range missile, the short-range AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missile and the German-made IRIS-T short-range anti-aircraft missile, among others, the source said.
“The flexibility to use Sidewinders is a key advantage of the NASAMS, as we have seen in Ukraine. When a runway is damaged and planes cannot take off, the Sidewinders can be taken off the planes and loaded into the NASAMS,” the source said.
The acquisition of NASAMS, a laser-based drone defense system produced in the US and Norway, the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile and other types of precision ammunition promised to Taiwan by the US would greatly bolster Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, Institute of National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) previously said in an interview.
Separately yesterday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) thanked fighter jet pilots who scrambled against China’s air force during its drills around Taiwan proper and pledged to further bolster the armed forces.
China began the exercises, including simulated precision strikes with bombers and missiles, on Saturday last week, after Tsai returned from Los Angeles, where she met US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
During a meeting in Taichung with pilots who are frequently stationed at a frontline air base in Penghu County’s Magong City (馬公), Tsai thanked them for their hard work and for sticking to their posts at all times.
“I want to tell everyone: As long as we are united, we can reassure the country’s people and let the world see our determination to protect the nation,” she said in a video clip provided by the Presidential Office.
Tsai added that the Taiwan-made Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF), which entered service in 1997, had been upgraded to more advanced versions.
“In the future, we will continue to upgrade software and hardware facilities, and improve personnel training,” she said.
Tsai’s office showed images of her talking to pilots dressed in flight uniforms and being given a briefing in front of an IDF parked in a hangar.
China’s three-day drills formally ended on Monday, but Taiwan has reported continued Chinese activity, although on a reduced scale.
Yesterday morning, the Ministry of National Defense said it had not spotted any Chinese military aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait in 24 hours.
In its regular morning report on Chinese military activities, the ministry said it had detected four Chinese military aircraft and eight Chinese warships around Taiwan.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS