Taiwan’s significant breakthrough in air defense technology was showcased at the Taipei Aerospace Exhibition with the debut of the “Sky Bow IV,” also known as the “Chung-Shan Defense System”. This missile system utilizes a two-stage rocket engine and thrust vector control to intercept enemy ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, reaching interception altitudes of up to 100 kilometers. How does Taiwan’s ballistic missile interception technology compare to that of neighboring countries like South Korea and India?
At the recently concluded Taipei Aerospace Exhibition, Taiwan unveiled the Sky Bow IV, also known as the Chung-Shan Defense System.
Each Sky Bow launch unit can carry four Sky Bow missiles. The Sky Bow IV interceptor missile underwent significant design changes, with a higher interception altitude. It features a two-stage rocket engine design for propulsion, showcasing a noticeable slim front and a thicker rear, while the launch vehicle displayed on-site had cylindrical missile packaging launch tubes compared to the rectangular ones seen in the previous Sky Bow series.
In addition to multiple missile launch vehicles, each Sky Bow unit also includes a command car and a radar car equipped with an active phased array radar. During the 2023 Taipei Aerospace Exhibition, Taiwan had revealed the existence of this system but had never conducted any form of demonstration until now.
According to the disclosed information so far, the Sky Bow missile uses a two-stage solid rocket system. Once the missile is launched, the first stage rocket propels it to high altitudes and speeds, followed by the separation of the booster. The second-stage missile uses radar guidance to execute the interception mission. The second-stage missile features a composite material structure and possesses thrust vector control capability, although its exact kill mode is still uncertain. Generally, air defense missiles have two kill modes: one is direct impact, known as kinetic kill, while the other is a proximity explosion using fragmentation to kill enemy missiles.
One of the most well-known weapons using this method is the US Patriot system.
The Patriot-2 utilizes a high-explosive fragmentation kill mode, with the warhead containing high-energy explosives and a significant amount of shrapnel that detonates near the target, generating a large number of high-speed fragments that hit the target, damaging the structure or key components of the enemy missile.
This method requires less precision as it only needs to explode near the target. However, due to the use of fragmentation in the kill mode, the kill probability is relatively limited, often requiring multiple intercepts to improve the hit rate.
The Patriot-3, on the other hand, uses kinetic kill mode, which means there are no fragments. The warhead of the Patriot-3 missile itself is a kinetic kill vehicle that intercepts the target by directly colliding with the enemy missile.
Achieving this mode requires high interception accuracy. Enemy ballistic missiles flying at high altitudes can reach speeds of up to 10 Mach, and the missile itself must reach speeds of over 5 Mach. The precise collision and interception of these two high-speed flying objects heavily rely on the accuracy of the missile radar and the terminal kinetic vector control technology.
Kinetic kill has two main advantages: a high single-shot hit probability, as hitting the target usually results in destruction, and the missile size can be reduced. For example, the diameter of a Patriot-2 missile is approximately 0.41 meters, while the Patriot-3 missile can be reduced to a diameter of 0.25 meters, significantly decreasing the overall missile mass and volume.
As a result, the Patriot-2 missile launcher can only carry four missiles, while the Patriot-3 missile launcher can carry up to 16 missiles.
Referring back to the performance of the Sky Bow IV missile itself, as reported by the Central News Agency, it is designed to intercept enemy ballistic missiles within the Earth’s atmosphere. Lee Shih-chang, director of the National Aerospace and Technology Research Institute, stated that the Sky Bow IV has a minimum interception altitude of 70 kilometers. The American Patriot system has an interception altitude of approximately 20 kilometers, with an interception range exceeding 100 kilometers.
Another American interception system is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), with an interception altitude of about 100 kilometers. Comparing the interception altitude, Taiwan’s domestically-produced Sky Bow III performs similar to the American Patriot, focusing on terminal high-altitude interception. On the other hand, the Sky Bow IV, the enhanced version mentioned today, has an interception altitude comparable to the THAAD system. Personally, it is believed that its range might be similar to Israel’s Arrow-2 missile, exhibiting outer atmosphere interception capabilities.
Currently, Taiwan’s main domestically-produced air defense missile is the Sky Bow series, which has evolved from Sky Bow I to Sky Bow IV. Sky Bow I marked the beginning of the series, with development starting in the 1980s and deployment in the 1990s. During that era, the primary focus of air defense weapons was on aircraft rather than the current cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, with Sky Bow I primarily targeting traditional aircraft.
Sky Bow I missiles utilize the Long Beach radar, a passive phased array radar jointly developed by the National Institute of Science and Technology and RCA in the United States. The design is said to have been inspired by the high-performance air defense phased array radar from General Aviation in the United States. The Long Beach radar consists of over 5,000 transmitting and receiving units, with a maximum detection range over 400 kilometers.
In continuation with the Long Beach radar foundation, the Sky Bow II was publicly announced in 1991, officially produced in 1997, and conducted live-fire exercises for the first time during the Hankuang military exercises in 2002.
Sky Bow II missiles utilize a two-stage solid rocket engine, with larger dimensions and active radar guidance technology, eliminating the need for the terminal illuminating radar as seen in Sky Bow I. However, similar to Sky Bow I, the Sky Bow II radar is still mainly deployed in fixed positions. Each Sky Bow missile is coupled with five launch vaults, with each vault containing four quadruple launch tubes.
Originally incapable of deploying launches, the Sky Bow II was later modified with the introduction of the Sky Bow III, as the launch box of the latter could accommodate the Sky Bow II missile. Currently, both missile types are mixedly deployed in mobile air defense missile units. In the 1990s, neither Sky Bow I nor Sky Bow II were the mainstay of Taiwan’s air defense; the mainstay was the Patriot missiles purchased from the United States. Continuously developing on these two missile types, the Taiwanese National Institute of Science and Technology eventually introduced the Sky Bow III. Due to the 1996 Taiwan Strait missile crisis, the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan allocated budget for the development of the anti-ballistic missile system – the Sky Bow III. Researchers state that the performance of Sky Bow III is similar to the American Patriot-3 anti-aircraft missile. Sky Bow III has significantly improved in speed, interception altitude, and range, with a notable improvement that all vehicles can be mobile deployed.
Sky Bow III features a mobile three-dimensional array radar and was publicly unveiled during the 2008 National Day Parade.
The radar processors and hardware used in the radar are of the same level as the AESA radar of the American Aegis system. Although, some of the early imported critical circuits have now been indigenously developed in Taiwan. Similar to the Long Beach radar, the “Mobile Array Radar” still operates in the S-band, with a horizontal scanning range of 120 degrees and a vertical scanning range of 90 degrees, having a maximum detection distance of up to 400 kilometers.
In 2014, the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan allocated budget to mass-produce 12 sets of Sky Bow III missiles to replace outdated air defense systems. The price of each set is approximately one-sixth of the Patriot-3, significantly reducing maintenance costs. The basic operational data of the Sky Bow III includes a range of 200 kilometers, a standard interception altitude of 45 kilometers, and speeds reaching up to 7 Mach.
By the end of 2014, the National Institute of Science and Technology allocated a budget for the development of the Sky Bow IV under the codename “強弓專案.” The preliminary operational evaluation was conducted in August 2022. The “強弓一” test, with an interception altitude of 70 kilometers, was declared completed the following year, while the “強弓二” test with an interception altitude of 100 kilometers is still in progress.
Compared to the Sky Bow III, the Sky Bow IV adopts a new self-made microwave power amplifier developed in Taiwan, along with improvements in missile nose cones, body structure, and propulsion systems.
Let’s summarize the four Sky Bow missiles developed by Taiwan: Sky Bow I and Sky Bow II are fixedly deployed and utilized the early Long Beach phased array radar, drawing inspiration from American technology but were not massively deployed. Sky Bow III is more mature, utilizes mobile deployment, has been extensively acquired, with an interception altitude of 45 kilometers surpassing the American Patriot system, a range of 200 kilometers, and capable of launching intercepts from domestic airspace targeting the Fujian airspace.
Building on the foundation of Sky Bow III, Taiwan introduced Sky Bow IV, the enhanced system, further extending range and altitude capabilities. The Sky Bow IV interceptor has an interception altitude of 70 kilometers, with the enhanced version capable of reaching 100 kilometers, enabling interception of enemy ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, akin to the Israeli Arrow-2 system.
From a technical data perspective, the Sky Bow IV is at the forefront globally. Currently, there are only a handful of countries that have the capability to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere, including Russia’s S-400, the United States’ THAAD/Standard III, Israel’s Arrow-2, and China’s Hongqi-29. European countries like the UK, Germany, and France do not have similar systems.
The most commonly used air defense missile in Europe is the Aster series, jointly developed by France and Italy, comprising the Aster 15 and Aster 30 models. Aster 15 is a short-range missile for intercepting low-altitude targets with a maximum interception altitude of around 10 kilometers. Aster 30 is a medium-range missile with an interception altitude of about 20 kilometers, a maximum range of approximately 120 kilometers, and a flight speed exceeding 4 Mach. The Aster air defense system is considered the strongest in Europe, used by the British Royal Air Force on carriers and destroyers.
In recent years, there have been criticisms of Taiwan’s defense industry. Nevertheless, Taiwan’s air defense industry is amongst the world’s leading in comparison to most countries.
Turning attention to South Korea, facing a similar security environment as Taiwan, the North Korean nuclear threat under a volatile leadership, South Korea independently developed its MSAM system, also named Cheongung – another coincidence. This system, developed by the South Korean Defense Development Agency with technical support from Russia’s Almaz-Antey, uses the 9M96 missile. The radar is a passive phased array radar operating in the X-band, rotating 40 degrees per minute, with a detection range of about 100 kilometers, capable of tracking up to 40 target groups simultaneously.
Initially designed to replace the obsolete Hawk missiles, the MSAM was deployed in 2020. The subsequent development saw the creation of the Block 2 variant, featuring an increased range of 50 kilometers, an interception altitude of 20 kilometers, speeds between 4.5 to 5 Mach, using inertial guidance combined with terminal active radar guidance and mid-stage data links.
Despite reaching Block 2, the performance of South Korea’s Cheongung missile system still lags behind Taiwan’s Sky Bow III. Subsequently, South Korea decided to develop Block 3, significantly extending the missile’s range to 150 kilometers. Currently, this missile remains in development, with its service entry still incomparable to Taiwan’s capabilities.
Considering the populous nation of India in Asia, substantial investment has been made in defense over the past few decades, particularly in cooperation with Russia and Israel. India initially developed its own indigenous aircraft carrier, followed by the development of the domestically-manufactured nuclear submarine, the “INS Arihant,” and later the various ballistic missiles. In the air defense missile domain, India predominantly relies on the indigenous Akash air defense system alongside the Israeli Barak system.
The literal translation of the Akash missile is “Sky,” characterized as a mobile surface-to-air missile that entered service in 2009. Its range is approximately 30 kilometers, with a maximum interception altitude of around 20 kilometers, and a flight speed of about 2.5 Mach. The missile utilizes inertial guidance combined with terminal data link updates and employs active radar guidance in the terminal phase.
This constitutes India’s most advanced domestically produced air defense missile system. However, over the past two decades, India has been developing its own ballistic missile defense program, initiated in 2006, with the aim to intercept ballistic missiles with ranges of several thousand kilometers. Specific parameters are yet to be disclosed, and such missiles are currently still in the development and testing phases, yet to be operational.
By comparing South Korea’s Cheongung system, Europe’s Aster system, and India’s Akash, one can glean that Taiwan is indeed in the forefront in the field of air defense weaponry. No weapon is flawless, and whether it be the former development of the Ching-kuo fighter or the current development of the Hai Kung submarine, Taiwan has undoubtedly faced various challenges. Technical obstacles are surmountable, and what Taiwan now needs is more patience and support for its defense industry.
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