Sale of missile systems a show of goodwill: expert

HIGHLY NEEDED:
After China demonstrates its capabilities to deploy vertical launch systems, Taiwan needs air defense systems like NASAMS, a defense expert said

• By Wu Che-yu and Jonathan Chin / Staff Reporter, with Staff Writer and CNA

The US approval of the export of three advanced air defense missile systems to Taiwan was a sign of NATO’s goodwill towards the country, a Taiwanese defense expert said.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Friday announced the $1.16 billion sale of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and the sale of AN/TPS-77 and AN/TPS-78 -ready radar systems announced for $828 million.

The NASAMS is a network that uses ground-launched Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to intercept enemy aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.

Photo: Screenshot from the Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace website

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of defense strategy and resources at the state-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said Taiwanese first showed interest in the NASAMS to their US counterparts in 2022.

The US cannot transfer an air defense system it co-designed with Norway without the consent of the Scandinavian country, and by extension NATO, he said on Saturday, adding that the acquisition of the systems would strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities significantly enlarged.

The NASAMS can detect aerial objects 300 km away, engage targets 40 km to 60 km away and provide anti-jamming capabilities, he said.

The mobile systems provide defensive firepower for strategically important installations, he said, adding that their ability to use AIM-120 and AIM-9 missiles significantly enhances the military’s defensive capabilities.

More weapons like NASAMS, which focus on defeating medium- and low-altitude targets, are needed to defend strategic installations after China demonstrated its ability to deploy up to six warships equipped with vertical launch systems in the waters around Taiwan , he said.

The NASAMS represent the first asymmetric warfare-capable systems delivered by US President Joe Biden, defense expert Mei Fu-hsing (梅復興) said, adding that each system is a self-contained unit consisting of a fire control center, radar and launchers. .

The systems can be managed by company-sized units, he said.

The off-the-shelf radar and missile systems would likely boost Taiwan’s ability to defend Taipei by detecting threats from stealth fighters and drones, military experts said.

The AN/TPS-77 radar system, which has a range of 470 km, is used for long-range aerial surveillance and is especially good at detecting small aerial objects, said Shu Hsiao-huang, associate research fellow of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (舒孝煌). ) said.

The AN/TPS-78 radar system has an instrumental range of 444 km and can better identify cruise missiles and drones at low altitudes, he said.

Retired air force officer Chou Yu-ping (周宇平) said the surface-to-air missile systems would be deployed in Taipei to protect the capital from cruise missiles and fighter jets.

Sharing the information collected by the AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar systems equipped with the surface-to-air missile systems with the Air Force’s integrated network would be crucial, Chou said.

The missile systems in the newly announced sales are expected to replace the HAWK surface-to-air missile system, which covers medium- and low-to-mid-altitude objects in Taiwan’s air defense, Shu said.

The Sentinel radar systems can identify targets within a range of 120 km, and the firing range of the 123 AMRAAM is 50 km, he said.

The new missile systems can be used to launch different types of missiles, such as the AIM-120 and AIM-9X models made by the same manufacturer, as well as the IRIS-T medium-range infrared homing missiles, he said .

If the missile systems can also be deployed with the indigenous Tien Chien I (天劍一, “Sky Sword 1”) and Tien Chien II (天劍二, “Sky Sword II”) missiles, it would enhance the country’s defense independence further improve. , he said.

Commenting on a reported plan to retire the air force’s twin 35mm and 20mm anti-aircraft guns, Shu said they should remain in service because it is not cost-effective to use missiles to shoot down unmanned flying objects.