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Taiwan and US sign deal to maintain island’s air defence systems
- Under the US$78 million contract, technicians from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon will be posted to the island to service Patriot missile systems
- The news comes amid reports that Washington and Taipei are considering plans to produce weapons together
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Taiwan has signed a NT$2.49 billion (US$77.8 million) technical service contract with the United States to better maintain the performance of its Patriot air-defence systems in intercepting missiles from the People’s Liberation Army.
Under the five-year contract, which runs through the end of 2027, the US will send technicians and experts from defence contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies to Taiwan, according to a government notice.
The deal, which was made public on Thursday on the Taiwanese government’s online procurement platform, was signed by the island’s defence mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan, which represents US interests in the absence of official ties with Taipei.
The technicians and experts will be stationed in Taiwan for the long term, unlike the small teams of engineers Lockheed Martin has sent in the past to service the systems on an irregular, short-term basis, a military source said.
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“The group’s posting [to Taiwan] will not only help improve servicing of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles but also ensure timely servicing for our systems,” the source said.
The source said the deal was necessary, especially since the PLA fired ballistic missiles over Taiwan during its unprecedented live-fire drills in early August.
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The PLA fired 11 missiles over the island as part of massive war games that ran for at least 10 days in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei – a trip Beijing saw as a violation of its sovereignty and a breach of Washington’s one-China policy.
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