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A Dossier on the Pave Paws Radar Installation
on Leshan, Taiwan
24.499 N, 121.072 E
Version of 2013-03-08
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/missile-defense-radar-fielded-taiwan/
Missile Defense Radar Fielded in Taiwan
Feb. 4, 2013
A $1.4 billion missile defense radar has been activated in Taiwan, Agence France-Presse reported on
Sunday.
"The radar is able to provide us with more than six minutes' warning in preparation for any surprise
attacks," air force Lt. Gen. Wu Wan-chiao said to the news agency.
The system, placed high on a mountain in the island state's north, can monitor incoming threats at a
distance of up to 3,100 miles.
China is said to have about 1,000 ballistic missiles pointed at Taiwan. It has declared the autonomously
governed island to be its territory and has pledged to take military action should Taipei seek full
independence.
"The system enabled Taiwan to have comprehensive surveillance controls when North Korea launched
a rocket in December and the mainland tested its antimissile system lately," an unidentified armed
forces official told the Liberty Times newspaper, discussing radar practice that began near the end of
2012.
"Through the sharing with the United States of the information it collects from the radar system,
Taiwan becomes a critical link in the U.S. strategic defense network in the region," according to Kevin
Cheng, top editor at Taipei-based Asia-Pacific Defense Magazine.
Previous reports indicated Taiwan would not share data from the radar with the United States.
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201302030023&Type=aTOD
Talk of the Day -- Taiwan formally commissions new radar system
2013/02/03 22:04:38
The military held a commissioning ceremony Feb. 1 for a new advanced early warning radar system
that can detect and track not only guided ballistic missiles and cruise missiles but also all types of
warplanes, including stealth fighters.
The new phased array radar installation, situated on top of a mountain in Hsinchu County, northern
Taiwan, is more advanced than five other similar systems established by the United States in other
countries, according to media reports.
The new mountaintop radar system at Loshan can detect flying objects in a range of up to 5,000
kilometers, enabling Taiwan to have comprehensive surveillance control of aerial activities in airspace
from the Korean peninsula in the north to the South China Sea in the south, the reports said.
According to military sources, the system has been in service since last December.
The sources further said that Chief of General Staff Gen. Yen Ming presided over the new radar's
formal commissioning ceremony.
The long-range, early warning radar installation is expected to give Taiwan an additional few minutes
of warning of any surprise Chinese missile attack, the sources added.
The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the new system and the latest developments in
regional security issues:
Liberty Times:
Taiwan began to negotiate a deal with the United States on procuring an advanced surveillance radar
system after China fired ballistic missiles in the Taiwan Strait ahead of the island's first-ever direct
presidential election in 1996.
A deal was finally struck after 10 years of negotiations, and construction of a new facility to
accommodate the new radar system got underway in 2007.
Because of the Loshan region's inclement weather and poor traffic conditions, the construction project
took six years to complete, at an exorbitant cost of NT$40.9 billion (US$1.38 billion).
Military sources said that when North Korea launched a rocket last December, the Loshan radar system
was already prepared for service.
"We decided to put the installation into service ahead of the original schedule and the system enabled
us to have full surveillance control," said a military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The new installation has also allowed Taiwan to detect China's recent test-firing of missile-interception
weapons, the officer said.
With the new radar, Taiwan managed to detect North Korea's rocket launch a few minutes ahead of
even Japan, according to a previous Defense Ministry report.
Yen said at the commissioning ceremony that the new system will greatly enhance Taiwan's ability to
detect and track missiles and other aerial threats from neighboring countries.
As Loshan is located at a high altitude, military personnel had to endure hardships during the process of
construction of the radar base, Defense Ministry officials said.
Daily supplies and even construction materials often had to be airlifted in by helicopter.
Many of those involved in the project, however, have become accustomed to the primitive living
conditions, the officials said, adding that some officers have been posted there for over 10 years. (Feb.
3, 2013)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1251961/1/.html
Taiwan deploys advanced early warning radar
Posted: 03 February 2013 1608 hrs
TAIPEI: Taiwan has put into service a US-made billion-dollar early warning radar system capable of
giving more than six minutes' warning of a Chinese missile attack, a senior military officer said
Sunday.
The radar, located on top of a mountain in northern Hsinchu county, started providing surveillance
information after a ceremony presided over by chief of the general staff air force General Yen Ming on
Friday.
[2013-02-01?]
"The radar is able to provide us with more than six minutes' warning in preparations for any surprise
attacks," Lieutenant General Wu Wan-chiao, director of the air force command headquarters'
department of political warfare, told AFP.
According to the Liberty Times, Yen said while addressing a small group of guests: "With the
completion of the project, the military's airborne surveillance capability against missiles and flying
objects that may threaten Taiwan has been largely upgraded."
The paper said the phased array warning system, which cost Tw$40.9 billion ($1.38 billion), is capable
of detecting flying objects up to 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away.
"The system has enabled Taiwan to have comprehensive surveillance controls when North Korea
launched a rocket in December and the mainland tested its anti-missile system lately," the paper quoted
an unnamed military officer as saying, speaking of the radar's trial runs since late last year.
Taiwan decided to buy the costly radar system from the United States following the 1995-1996 missile
crisis, during which China carried out ballistic missile tests in waters off Taiwan in an attempt to
intimidate the island ahead of its first direct presidential elections.
"This is the most advanced system of its kind in the world... it is crucial as the Chinese communists are
aiming more than 1,000 ballistic missiles at Taiwan," Chao Shih-chang, then deputy defence minister
told parliament in 2011, adding it was also capable of detecting cruise missiles.
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