Taiwan seeks bolstered Patriot air-defence capability

The US Department of State has approved a potential USD100 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan in support of enhancements to the island’s Lockheed Martin Patriot air-defence system.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a notice on 7 February that the contract, which still requires US Congress approval, runs for five years and comprises “engineering services support, designed to sustain, maintain, and improve” Taiwan’s Patriot systems.

It added that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) – Taiwan’s principal representative office in the US – has requested to procure the services to support its participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program (IESP) and Field Surveillance Program (FSP).

Under the IESP, Patriot operators share development costs for system upgrades, while the FSP is intended to confirm the reliability and readiness of the enhanced Patriot missiles. The DSCA notice stated that participation in the programmes is a US government requirement.