The radar system that Taiwan says tracked the PLA’s ballistic missile launch
Taiwan utilized its US-made long-range radar system to track a Chinese ballistic missile launch from a submarine in the South China Sea. The island shared intelligence with the United States to monitor the missile's trajectory as it flew over the Philippines and landed in international waters.
Why it matters
This highlights the critical role of regional surveillance infrastructure and US-Taiwan intelligence cooperation in monitoring military escalations in the Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan gained critical information about Beijing’s ballistic missile launch this week thanks to the island’s long-range early-warning radar system and intelligence sharing with Washington.
The island’s AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws long-range early-warning radar detected the missile soon after it was launched from a nuclear-powered submarine in the South China Sea, the Liberty Times reported on Wednesday, quoting a senior Taiwanese official.
The system tracked the missile’s trajectory during the initial phase of flight while it remained within the radar’s coverage, the official said.
The giant radar is housed at the Leshan Radar Station in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu county and was bought from the United States.
At 2,600 metres above sea level, it can detect missile launches up to 5,000km (3,100 miles) away, making it a cornerstone of Taiwan’s early-warning network.
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