The US on Friday authorized the sale of Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS) — an integrated air defense architecture — to Denmark, a move potentially clearing the way for their export to Taiwan, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has approved the foreign military sale of IBCS with Indirect Fire Protection Capability and related equipment for an estimated US$3 billion to Denmark, it said in a notice.
This includes 24 environmentally sealed magazines compatible with AIM-9X heat-seeking missiles, eight Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 launchers, and two IBCS units with radar systems, network relays and operation centers, in addition to related services, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
In Taipei, military officials commenting on condition of anonymity said that as Taiwan and the US have already had preliminary discussions and reached a consensus, US sources suggested Taiwan is likely to be the next country Washington prepares to sell the IBCS to, due to the reliance of Taiwanese air defense systems on this equipment.
Patriot Advanced Capabilities-2, Patriot Advanced Capabilities-3, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), Tien Kung II (天弓, Sky Bow), Tien Kung III and Tien Kung IV are among the nation’s IBCS-dependent air defense systems, they said.
The IBCS is a linchpin technology for President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed “T-Dome” integrated air defense system intended to counter China’s formidable cruise missile and ballistic missile arsenal, they said.
The proposed air defense network should be capable of engaging missiles, fighter jets, strategic bombers and uncrewed aerial vehicles operating at varied airspeeds and altitudes, the sources said.
The T-Dome, similarly to the air defense concept being implemented in Denmark, is designed to establish a unified command and control to enable optimized allocation of fires by all air defense missiles defending the homeland, they said.
This means the air defense weapons selected to engage the threat would be the best match to its distance and performance, ensuring efficient use of ammunition and successful interdiction, they said.
Taiwan and Denmark both opted to buy NASAMS launchers, which are designed for the AIM-120, a medium range radar-guided missile for antimissile defense, in addition to shorter-ranged AIM-9X and Stinger missiles to knock out mortar shells, artillery rockets and drones, they said.
The price listed in the DSCA notice suggests the per-unit cost for the IBCS would be about US$530 million.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS