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Taiwan, US sign US$84 million Patriot missile maintenance deal

Taiwan expects latest type of Patriot PAC-3 missile to arrive in 2025

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Patriot missile systems during exercises in Taipei in 2019.

Patriot missile systems during exercises in Taipei in 2019. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has signed a contract with the United States valued at NT$2.52 billion (US$84.15 million) to maintain the readiness of its Patriot PAC-3 missiles, reports said Friday (Aug. 12).

The news came a week after China fired 11 missiles into space over Taiwan in large-scale military exercises. The drills are viewed as the most serious threat to cross-strait stability in more than 25 years.

According to Ministry of National Defense data, its mission in the U.S. and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) signed the contract, which covers the period from July 20, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2026, CNA reported.

The tests conducted on the Patriot missiles will ensure their reliability remains intact and they can continue to protect Taiwan’s airspace, officials said. The country is disposing itself of an older generation of Patriots upgraded to PAC- 3 level and of newer PAC-3 missiles.

A third type, the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), is expected to arrive for deployment in 2025 and 2026. The upgrades to the original missiles allowed the interception of low-flying cruise missiles and of ballistic missiles with a range of 600 kilometers, the report said.