Could the US missile defence system used by Ukraine help Taiwan? Analysts are split
- Kyiv said it downed six Russian hypersonic missiles, and while it did not say if it had used the US-made advanced Patriot (PAC-3) system, reports suggest it did
- But analysts debate whether the system could defend Taiwan from any missile attacks launched by mainland China
Taiwan officials are monitoring Ukraine’s use of an advanced version of the US-made Patriot Advanced Capability - 3 (PAC-3) missile defence system to intercept Russian hypersonic rockets, but analysts are split whether the system could defend the self-ruled island from attacks launched by mainland China.
On Tuesday, Ukraine said it had intercepted six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in one night. It did not disclose if the PAC-3 system had been used, but Reuters reported that the US military confirmed last week that Ukraine had shot down a Kinzhal using the system.
Russia dismissed the claims by Ukraine, saying the number of successful hits was “three times greater than the number” the Russian military had launched.
According to the Pentagon, mainland China has deployed at least 1,200 short-range ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan.
China’s state-run CCTV reported in 2021 that these missiles included DF-11, DF-15, DF-16 and the DF-17 medium-range system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle, which powers the missiles to fly faster than the speed of sound, making them more difficult to intercept.
Song Zhongping, a former People’s Liberation Army instructor and military analyst, was sceptical about Ukraine’s claims, noting that the Kinzhal might not truly qualify as hypersonic.