Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget.
The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said
Photo: Reuters
The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, make use of mobile launcher systems and improve the capacity of ammunition depots, they said.
The US has conducted multiple studies on the effectiveness of Taiwan’s air defense against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s firepower, they added.
INCREASED ALTITUDE
The first batch of the PAC-3 MSE systems is expected to be delivered by the end of the year and would be deployed in Hualien and Taitung counties, they said.
The official declined to comment on whether US supply chain issues have led to a reduction in the size of missile shipments.
The PAC-3 MSE has an estimated maximum engagement altitude of 45km to 60km, an improvement over the PAC-3 base model’s 24km.
ENHANCEMENT
The advanced missile systems are expected to enhance the armed forces’ ability to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, as well as engage advanced fighter jets and other high-value targets.
Due to the larger size of the rockets used by the PAC-3 MSE system, the number of missiles each launch vehicle could carry is reduced from 16 to 12.
Separately, the defense procurement special budget reportedly would include funds for the production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles, which are designed to intercept targets at a maximum altitude of 70km.
The combination of PAC-3, PAC-3 MSE, Sky Bow III and Sky Bow IV systems is designed to create a mix capable of countering threats at all altitudes, sources said previously.
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
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS