A proposal by the US government to extend a contract for an early warning facility in Hsinchu County aims to ensure that the system performs well, a military source said.
The proposal involves Leshan Radar Station in Wufeng Township (五峰), the source said, but declined to comment on whether the package would involve upgrades to the system.
The US$655.4 million extension is part of a planned US$1.1 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, which also includes 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles for US$355 million and 100 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles at a price of NT$85.6 million, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Friday.
The US Department of State has approved the proposed arms sale and forwarded it to the US Congress for review, the cooperation agency said.
The Leshan radar proved effective when it detected 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles that China fired into waters around Taiwan during the military exercises it conducted early last month, Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said on Saturday.
It is worth watching whether the contract extension will involve upgrades, Lin said.
Possible upgrades include boosting the system’s range, increasing its processing speed, raising the number of targets it can simultaneously track and linking it to systems used by local or foreign military units, thereby shortening its response time and boosting its accuracy, he said.
The Leshan station sits at an altitude of 2,620m and can detect missiles fired within a range of 5,000km. It can also track cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones and ships within a 2,000km range.
The station employs an AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws system, which, thanks to the facility’s altitude, has a long range and early warning capabilities, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), an analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
Considering the time that the system has been in use, the contract extension could entail the renewal of transceivers and software maintenance, he said.
Chieh Chung (揭仲), a research fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight, said the proposed extension might seem expensive, but with the Leshan system turning 10 next year, a mid-life upgrade or the procurement of replacement parts is in order.
While the proposed arms sale does not include new weapons, it would narrow the gap between Taiwan and China regarding the number of precision-strike missiles, bolstering the nation’s defense capabilities, he said.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS