The next US arms sale package to Taiwan is likely to include advanced command and control systems, surface-to-air missiles, radars, and counter-drone capabilities, a source said yesterday.
The government official made the remarks in response to a Financial Times report published last week stating that Washington plans to sell Taiwan up to US$20 billion worth of weapons.
The US is preparing an arms package to facilitate President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposal to build the “T-Dome” to defend the nation against Chinese strikes, a source with knowledge on the matter said, commenting on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Screen grab from the Defense Visual Information Distribution System’s Web site
The Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS), Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement systems (PAC-3 MSE), National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), and Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors (LTAMDS) are likely to be part of the sale, he said.
The IBCS, an advanced system used by the US’ armed forces, is capable of integrating various types of air defense missiles Taiwan already has or plans to use, the official said.
The PAC-3 MSE would be furnished in sufficient quantity to arm a new air defense battalion, he said.
The NASAMS would provide a low to medium-altitude air defense capability, while the LTAMDS, the latest radar technology, would replace the original radars of the Patriot air defense system, the official said.
These systems would join Taiwan’s fleet of PAC-3 and Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) family of air defense missiles to form an integrated defense, he said.
Separately, the US is believed to be preparing a number of Mobile-Acquisition, Cueing and Effector system (M-ACE) counter-drone defenses with soft-kill and hard-kill capabilities, the official said.
M-ACE is an integrated system composed of a radar, electro-optical infrared sensors, a 30mm autocannon, jammers and an electronic warfare suite that could be installed on trucks or light tactical vehicles, he said.
This could support mobile groups of anti-drone defense teams with artificial intelligence (AI)-boosted command capabilities, the official said, adding that it would bolster the nation’s ability to engage drone swarms.
Military police units tasked with defending key government structures in the Boai (博愛) special zone initiated talks with the US regarding obtaining a hard-kill capability to complement their single-operator drone jammer guns two years ago, leading to the proposed sale of M-ACE, the official said.
In November last year, Chief of the General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) told the public that the T-Dome program would add an integrated command system and Tien Kung IV missiles to Taiwan’s air defense arsenal.
The project aims to enable the Taiwanese armed forces to engage threats at different altitudes and performance envelopes, controlled by an AI-enhanced integrated command system, he said.
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