$95 Million in Technical Assistance and Associated Equipment
The US State Department has approved a potential $95 million Foreign Military Sale of technical assistance and associated equipment for Taiwan’s Patriot air defence systems. The prime contractor is expected to be Raytheon Technologies.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 5 April that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has requested contractor technical assistance support consisting of training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance, and sustainment. Also included are associated equipment and logistics support elements, as well as ground support equipment, spare parts, and consumables.
“The proposed sale will help to sustain the recipient’s missile density and ensure readiness for air operations,” said DSCA, adding that Taipei plans to use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defence. Taiwan is seeking to bolster the capabilities of its Patriot systems amid escalating tensions with China over the status of the island.
In fact, DSCA had already announced approval on 7 February for a potential $100 million FMS to Taipei of equipment and services to support Patriot enhancements, as well as the island’s participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program (IESP) and Field Surveillance Program (FSP) for five years. That announcement was made after the Ministry of National Defense in Taipei was quoted by local media as saying in late March 2021 that it plans to acquire an undisclosed number of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor missiles, with deliveries scheduled for 2025-2026 and deployment by the end of 2026.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) has been operating upgraded PAC-2s and newly acquired PAC-3s since late 2017, and currently fields more than 400 PAC-series missiles. The first PAC-2 systems were delivered to Taiwan in 1997.
