The Taiwan missile tech aimed at keeping a PLA attack at bay
- The island is relying on a varied stockpile to fend off any assault from across the Taiwan Strait
- Some are manufactured in the United States while others have been developed and made locally
Though the island’s defence ministry is unwilling to say exactly how big the stockpile is, the Taipei-based China Times newspaper has put the total at more than 6,000.
These weapons include missiles manufactured in the United States as well as well as locally designed and made products. They also range from air- and sea-launched to land-strike missiles.
Missiles are a key element of Taiwan’s defence strategy in the face of mainland China’s much bigger People’s Liberation Army.
The missiles from the US include:
Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3): a long-range, all-altitude, all-weather air defence system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. It has been in service throughout the US, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Poland, Sweden, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Spain and Taiwan.