TAIWAN HOPES TO ESTABLISH A MULTI-TIERED TMD SYSTEM
KWIC News Dec. 5: During his visit to the USA in late October, the Chief of the General Staff of the Taiwanese army, General Tang Fei, officially made his request for the purchase of the US newly developed "Patriot PAC3" ground-to-air missiles and four US Aegis-class air-defence destroyers.

At present, Taiwan has deployed at least five sets of the Patriot PAC2 ground-to-air missiles, which are similar to the model the US army used to intercept the Scud ground-to-ground missiles of Iraq during the Gulf War. Taiwan's hope for the purchase of the Patriot PAC3 and four US-made Aegis-class air-defence destroyers indicates that it may wish to establish a multi-tiered interceptive system against the ballistic missiles to confront the superiority China has gained in these missiles.

The Patriot PAC3 is one of the TMD systems which the USA is in the process of developing and which is specially used to intercept the ground-to-ground missiles. Though both the Patriot PAC3 and PAC2 are both called the Patriot missiles, yet their missile bodies are totally different from each other. Extensive modifications were made to the phased array radar-guided system of the Patriot PAC3. This missile is mainly used to intercept the ballistic missiles in the atmosphere.

On the basis of the official request made by Taiwan for the purchase of the US Aegis destroyers, it can be believed that Taiwan hopes to eventually establish a multi-tiered ballistic missile interception system on its land and sea bases and in and out of the atmospheric layer. That is, while importing the PAC3, Taiwan also wishes to purchase the Aegis destroyers and the ballistic missile interception system used outside of the atmospheric layer, such as the standard II Aegis Leap. If so, that means Taiwan hopes to officially join the TMD network that the USA set up in Eastern Asia.

Taiwan has already obtained the "Patriot PAC2". For the defensive nature of the ground-to-air missiles, as time goes on, Taiwan shouldn't find it a big problem to eventually obtain the PAC3 ( KWIC Satoko Tomiyama).