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Taiwan: U.S. Ties Squeeze Missile Development
May 14, 2002
Summary
Taiwan conducted the first public test of its indigenously developed Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile May 10. The missile, which is deployed alongside Taiwan's U.S.-made Patriot anti-missile systems, could be the forerunner of a Taiwanese-developed anti-missile missile. Yet Taipei's international isolation and its strategic ties to the United States complicate the island's defense development programs.
Sky Bow II / Tien Kung II SAM.
Image Credit: FAS.org [More].
Analysis
The Taiwanese military carried out a live-fire exercise of the indigenously developed Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile (SAM) May 10. The exercise, code-named Magic Arrow 43, was the first public test of the Sky Bow II and took place during the annual large-scale combined services Hankuang 18 exercise, where three U.S.-built Hawk SAMs also were tested.
Magic Arrow 43 was both a public demonstration of Taiwan's missile development program and an active test of the Sky Bow II's ability to use the Hawk's radar guidance and target acquisition equipment, according to Taiwanese media. The Sky Bow II, which has limited capabilities against other missiles but is an effective anti-aircraft system, is a stepping-stone for Taiwan's development of its own indigenous version of the U.S. Patriot anti-missile system. However, Taipei's domestic defense research and development programs are complicated by the island's economic problems, political isolation and, more importantly, its strategic relationship with the United States.
China's several hundred short- and medium-range ballistic missiles represent the biggest threat to Taiwan's security. For Taipei, the development of a viable defense against these systems is vital. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), which has been the island's center of indigenous missile development, has developed the Sky Sword series of air-to-air missiles and the Brave Wind series of anti-ship missiles as well as the Sky Bow SAM.
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Taiwan: U.S. Ties Squeeze Missile Development . . .