The military is evaluating two US-made long-range early warning radar systems to be used in the construction of a defense shield against Chinese ballistic missiles, according to a report in Jane's Defense Weekly.
One of the systems is a modified version of Raytheon's AN/FPS-115 phased-array radar PAVE PAWS system, while the other is Lockheed Martin's AN/SPY-1D(V) system, the magazine's latest issue says.
Quoting an anonymous US government source, the report said that the two systems provide "an autonomous means for early warning for ballistic missile launches, which would give Taiwan time to initiate civil defense measures and activate Taiwan's Patriot PAC-II Plus [air defense] system."
The PAVE PAWS was initially considered to be the only choice for Taiwan when the US government announced last year its agreement to sell a long-range early warning radar system to Taiwan. The system was favored partly because of its 5,600km range, which would enable Taiwan to monitor almost all of China's territory.
But now the matter has taken on a new twist because of a rumored US government plan to provide Taiwan with a shorter-range radar system, instead of the 5,600km package. Lockheed Martin has thus emerged as a competitor to Raytheon in the deal, offering an option that is more likely to be accepted by the US.
Representatives from both arms manufacturers have visited Taiwan in the past few months to lobby for the lucrative deal. The military is now trying to determine which of the two systems would best serve Taiwan's needs for the construction of a defense shield against a Chinese ballistic missile threat.
Taiwan currently has no early warning system against ballistic missiles and only has limited interception capability against ballistic missiles, namely its Patriot PAC-II Plus system.
Chang Li-teh (
"The PAVE PAWS, to be housed in a 10-story building, would likely become an easy target for China's anti-radiation or ballistic missiles because of its huge size. It would likely be destroyed by Chinese missiles right after it detects a first wave of ballistic missiles fired from China," Chang said.
"The system was initially designed ... as a defense against the Soviet Union's intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads. It may not suit our current defense needs," he said.
But Chang did say that he has consulted with Raytheon staff who told him the PAVE PAWS cannot be easily destroyed.
"The Raytheon staff said China would need to fire at least 100 ballistic missiles to destroy a PAVE PAWS station. These missiles have to have a CEP [circular error probability] of 100m," Chang said.
"Another good thing about the PAVE PAWS is that it ... has a range of 5,600km. But the US government will likely sell us a shorter-range package."
As for Lockheed Martin's AN/SPY-1D(V) system, Chang said it is much smaller than the PAVE PAWS and thus less likely to become a target for Chinese missiles.
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