Taiwan to buy upgraded US Patriot missiles

Taiwan's military has decided to buy an upgraded version of the Patriot missile from the U.S. to counter China's growing threat against the country, according to a Ministry of National Defense (MND) report on Wednesday, CNA reports.

The Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors Taiwan is slated to buy are scheduled to be delivered between 2025 and 2026 and deployed by the end of 2026, according to the MND report sent to lawmakers for review.

Military sources, however, did not disclose the budget allocated for the purchase or how many PAC-3 MSEs the MND wishes to buy.

The decision to make the purchase was made during a Taiwan-U.S. meeting in 2019, according to the MND.

According to Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the PAC family of missiles, the PAC-3 MSE two-pulse solid rocket motor provides increased performance in both altitude and range.

The two-pulse solid rocket motor and enhanced airframe gives the interceptor more maneuverability against faster and more sophisticated tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, according to information available on Lockheed Martin's website.

Taiwan received its first Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-2 systems in 1997. The MND spent another NT$179.14 billion (US$6.28 billion) between 2007 and 2021 to upgrade the PAC-2s into PAC-3s and in buying new PAC-3 systems.

The upgraded PAC-2s and newly purchased PAC-3s were all delivered to Taiwan by the end of 2017 and have already been deployed across the country.

Taiwan currently has more than 400 PAC missiles deployed.