What lessons does Taiwan see from Iran and Ukraine for its air-defence strategy?

Lessons from the wars in Iran and Ukraine are pushing Taipei to rethink its air-defence strategy, with officials now warning that expensive missiles alone cannot stop large waves of rockets and drones. In a report submitted to Taiwan’s lawmakers on Monday, the island’s defence ministry said low-cost interceptor weapons were urgently needed to counter the mainland Chinese military’s growing arsenal of long-range rockets and uncrewed aircraft. The new systems would form part of Taiwan’s planned “Taiwan Shield”, or T-Dome, a layered air-defence architecture designed to protect critical infrastructure and ensure the island could sustain defensive operations during an armed conflict. The ministry said the concept reflected lessons drawn from recent conflicts, including missile and drone exchanges involving the United States, Israel and Iran, as well as the Ukraine war. “The conflicts showed how large numbers of relatively cheap weapons can overwhelm traditional air-defence systems,” the ministry said, adding that missile defence and counter-drone capabilities had become central issues for modern air defence. The ministry did not disclose the cost of the proposed interceptors. Local media reports, citing officials familiar with the programme, said each interceptor could cost between US$50,000 and US$150,000 – far cheaper than conventional air-defence missiles such as the US-made Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (Nasams). During Monday’s legislative session in Taipei, lawmakers warned that using expensive interceptors against cheap weapons could quickly drain stockpiles and weaken Taiwan’s ability to sustain a prolonged conflict. Legislator Wang Ting-yu of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party asked whether Taiwan had adequate countermeasures against the long-range rocket forces of the People’s Liberation Army, citing lessons from the US-Israel war on Iran. “Iran has recently used low-flying, low-speed Shahed drones to strike civilian infrastructure and military facilities,” Wang said, urging the military to draw lessons from such tactics. He also asked which areas of the T-Dome air-defence concept required the most urgent improvement. Taiwan’s deputy defence minister, Chung Shu-ming, said the military was planning to deploy low-cost air-defence weapons capable of intercepting long-range rockets and that both home-grown development and overseas procurement options were under review. Li Shih-chiang, president of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology – Taiwan’s main weapons developer – said the institute already had a programme under way aimed at intercepting long-range rockets and drones. “Testing of the system is planned as early as next year,” Li told the lawmakers. Local media reported that the institute’s low-cost interceptor munitions were being developed in two versions: one designed to counter drones and another for missile interception. The counter-drone version could complete development this year, while testing of the anti-missile variant is expected to begin next year. Niu Hsu-ting, a legislator from the Kuomintang, the island’s main opposition party, also warned that Iran’s use of suicide drones and low-cost rockets in saturation attacks highlighted the need to strengthen Taiwan’s anti-drone and rocket defence capabilities. “Beijing has a major advantage in drone supply chains and production capacity,” Niu said, suggesting Taiwan should evaluate countermeasures such as microwave jamming and laser weapons developed by the Chung-Shan Institute. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons to defend itself. According to the ministry’s report, Taiwan aims to build a tightly integrated air-defence network based on existing capabilities. The system would combine layered defence, advanced sensors and effective interception to create a protective shield for the island. The ministry said it was also incorporating advanced technologies such as drone control systems, anti-jamming capabilities, obstacle avoidance, autonomous navigation, artificial intelligence and swarm technologies, as well as laser and high-power microwave systems for counter-drone operations. Su Tzu-yun, a senior analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said Taiwan needed a dense and layered air-defence network to protect command centres and preserve its ability to fight back. “The T-Dome concept integrates locally produced missiles with US systems such as Patriot and Nasams to create a comprehensive defence network covering low, medium and high altitudes,” Su said. As long as the defensive network remained intact, Beijing would “struggle to achieve its strategic objective of rapidly seizing Taiwan and creating a fait accompli”, he added. However, retired air force colonel Chou Yu-ping said that lessons from the Iran war suggested that the key factor in a Taiwan Strait conflict would be whether critical air-defence units could survive and whether the defence system’s cost structure remained sustainable. “The outcome will not depend solely on weapon precision,” Chou added. “It will depend on whose cost structure is more rational, whose systems can keep operating under electronic interference and who can sustain operations longer under high-intensity attrition.”

What lessons does Taiwan see from Iran and Ukraine for its air-defence strategy?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Expensive missiles cannot stop large waves of rockets and drones in an armed conflict, officials on the self-ruled island warn

Expensive missiles cannot stop large waves of rockets and drones in an armed conflict, officials on the self-ruled island warn