A US$655.4 million surveillance radar contract extension proposed by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is aimed at ensuring the performance of Taiwan’s Leshan Radar Station, which played an important role in detecting the 11 ballistic missiles fired by China into waters near Taiwan in early August, according to a source in Taiwan’s military with knowledge of the matter.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNA that the contract extension was for Leshan Radar Station in Hsinchu County’s Wufeng Township, but declined to comment on whether the package would involve upgrades to the station’s surveillance capabilities.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency Friday said the proposed arms sale have been approved by the U.S. State Department and delivered to the U.S. Congress for review.
The contract 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 costing US$355 million and 100 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles costing NT$85.6 million, according to the agency.
Lin Ying-yu (???), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said that the radar proved effective when it detected China had fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles near Taiwan as part of military exercises in early August, so it is worth watching whether upgrades will be carried out.
There are a range of upgrades that could be introduced to the radar system – for example increasing its range, enhancing its computing speed, increasing the maximum number of targets it can simultaneously track, and enabling it to link to systems used by local or foreign military units, thereby shortening its response time and boosting its accuracy, Lin said.
Meanwhile, Su Tzu-yun (???), an analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the radar system at the Leshan station is an AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws system, which, thanks to the altitude at which it is deployed, covers a long range and has early warning capabilities, allowing it to detect and track China’s ballistic missiles.
Based on the time it has been in service, the contract extension could entail the renewal of transceivers and software maintenance, he said.
The Leshan Radar Station is at an altitude of 2,620 meters and can detect missiles fired within a 5,000 km range, as well as track cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones and ships within a 2,000 km range.
On the proposed missile sale, Su said the U.S. likely wants to add to Taiwan’s current stockpile of precision strike missiles to make up for the disparity in military aircraft and ships between Taiwan and China.
Taiwan last purchased harpoon missiles in 1993, and there are about 450 of them remaining, he said.
Chieh Chung (??), a research fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight, said that a US$655.4 million radar maintenance project might seem expensive, but with the Leshan radar system marking 10 years of service next year, a mid-life upgrade or procurement of replacement parts is in order.
While the proposed arms sale do not include new weapons, it will shorten the gap in the number of precision strike missiles between Taiwan and China, thus bolstering Taiwan’s defense capabilities, he said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel