Washington approves recertification of Taiwan's PAC-3 air-defence missiles

摘要

The US Department of State has approved a request from Taiwan for the recertification of the island's Patriot Advanced Capabil-ity-3 (PAC-3) air-defence missiles for an estimated USD620 million. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 9 July that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), Taiwan's principal representative office in the country, had requested the recertification of the interceptor missiles - which are operated by the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) - under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. The proposed recertification, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, includes the replacement of expiring limited life components and certification testing in order to support an operational life of 30 years.