US Signs $78 Million Deal to Maintain Taiwan’s Patriot Air Defense System

Taipei signed a deal with Washington to maintain the island’s MIM-104 Patriot air defense system for another five years, a Taiwanese authority posting revealed on Thursday.

The deal was announced on the Taiwanese Defense Ministry’s online procurement platform, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), which first reported the story.

According to the Hong Kong-based paper, a source in the Taiwanese military said that the deal calls for engineering teams from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, two US defense contractors, to be positioned in Taiwan “for the long term”.

“The group’s posting [to Taiwan] will not only help improve servicing of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles but also ensure timely servicing for our systems,” said the paper’s insider source.

The deal was reportedly made after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fired 11 missiles over Taiwan during August military drills, which were held in response to a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). During the visit, Pelosi, the third-highest ranking US official, spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and condemned the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trying to reunify with the island.