Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Tuesday confirmed that the ministry plans to purchase the second-generation National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS 2) from the US.
Speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session, Chiu said media reports about the acquisition were correct, but that the military had not yet received an official notification regarding a time frame for the purchase.
Chiu said the effectiveness of NASAMS 2 had been demonstrated by its performance in Ukraine, where US defense officials claim it has had a 100 percent success rate in intercepting Russian missiles.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, said that part of the NASAMS 2’s attractiveness is the system’s ability to use Link 16, a standardized military communications protocol providing tactical data links between NATO members.
NASAMS 2 can also be integrated with other systems as a highly adaptable mid-range air defense solution and improve engagement efficiency, he said.
An unnamed expert described NASAMS 2 as a powerful short to medium-range, ground-based air defense system that can protect against a variety of aerial threats, including drones, missiles, helicopters and planes within 40km to 50km.
The system integrates US-built MPQ-64 Sentinel air defense radar with multiple short and medium-range air defense missile systems, the expert said.
A separate military source said that the system Taiwan plans to acquire is a distributed and networked air defense system.
The source said that after an initial assessment, the system is expected to be used in combination with two air defense systems developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
Military expert Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) said that the system could be refitted into a medium-range air defense system and would likely be the first choice for repelling cruise missiles.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
RSS