The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) in the United States of Contractor Technical Assistance and related equipment for an estimated cost of $95 million. The TECRO has requested to buy Contractor Technical Assistance support consisting of training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance, and sustainment of the Patriot Air Defense System, associated equipment, and logistics support elements; as well as Patriot Ground Support Equipment, spare parts, and consumables as required in support of Technical Assistance activities. The prime contractor will be Raytheon Technologies, Andover, MA.
Taiwan has deployed 350 Patriot missiles, with agreements between the two countries governing not just the missile systems but also separate aspects such as technical support, maintenance, and transport to the U.S. for repairs. Taiwan and the U.S. agreed on a procurement deal for similar systems during talks in 2019. The new contract became valid the day it was signed and will remain so until the end of 2025. Taiwan initially procured Patriot Advanced Capability PAC-2 missiles, which were later upgraded to PAC-3 level. Taiwan was planning to add 300 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) systems in 2025 and 2026. The new missiles are larger and have a longer reach, but the Ministry of National Defense did not provide details about the project.
Taiwan’s military will soon test-fire Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) systems at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. A live-fire verification test of Taiwan’s Patriot missiles is carried out every two years and it can only be performed in the U.S., due to security concerns. PAC-3 hade been stationed on Taiwan’s east coast in a response to China’s changing military strategy. Therefore, the East Asian nation always sends a team to White Sands to carry out the drill. Taiwan and Japan are the only countries that conduct missile tests in the U.S. The PAC-3 Missile Segment upgrade consists of the PAC-3 missile, a very agile hit-to-kill interceptor, the PAC-3 missile canisters, a fire solution computer, and an Enhanced Launcher Electronics System (ELES).
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO) or Taipei Mission, is an alternative diplomatic institution serving as a de facto embassy or a consulate of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly referred to as Taiwan) to exercise the foreign affairs and consular services in specific countries which have established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC, commonly referred to as China). TECROs in the United States enjoy many diplomatic privileges such as extraterritoriality, providing consular protection and their staff have diplomatic immunity.