TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Air Force’s Patriot III missile launchers and support vehicles have been shipped to the U.S. to undergo comprehensive performance evaluations, according to Taiwan.
Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, Kuomintang Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) asked why these tests could not be done in Taiwan. Air Force Command Chief of Staff Cao Jinping (曹進平) said that this reevaluation must be conducted in the U.S. because many key technologies of the Patriot III missile have not been released outside the U.S., per Liberty Times.
Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said the tests are part of Taiwan-U.S. exchanges, and reiterated that the U.S. has not released these technologies to Taiwan and many other countries that operate the Patriot missile systems.
The Air Force Command later said that its Patriot missiles are following lifecycle management requirements stipulated by the original manufacturer (Raytheon). The command said it signed an evaluation plan with the U.S. and is cooperating with U.S. shipping companies to transport the missile systems on schedule.
A live-fire verification of Taiwan’s Patriot missiles is carried out every two years. In 2021, Taiwan's military test-fired Patriot III missiles at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Taiwan and Japan are the only countries that conduct missile tests in the U.S.