TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is planning to station Sky Bow III anti-air missiles at 12 new bases, reports said Friday (Oct. 20).
The plan was motivated by the need to counter the threat from China and the large-scale domestic production of missiles, Liberty Times reported. The aim was to link up the new bases with information about Chinese missiles provided by a long-range early-warning radar system.
Documents submitted by the MND to the Legislative Yuan showed that it planned to upgrade MIM-23 Hawk and Sky Bow II missiles to Sky Bow III-level capabilities. In order to accompany the upgrading, the MND was working on building six new bases from 2022 to 2025. A second phase of six more bases was planned for the period from 2023 to 2026.
The Sky Bow III is manufactured in Taiwan by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST). Tests for more advanced versions, which could reach targets at heights of up to 100 kilometers instead of the original 45 km, were conducted over the past year.