DEFENSE/Taiwan planning to spend NT$36 billion on air defense missile system

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's military has proposed spending NT$36 billion (US$1.13 billion) to develop and deploy an enhanced version of the Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile system, known as the Strong Bow (強弓) program, to boost Taiwan's air defenses.

In the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) proposed 2027 budget submitted to lawmakers for review early Monday, the MND has budgeted NT$36 billion for the Strong Bow program from 2026 to 2032 to build a land-based system able to intercept tactical ballistic missiles.

The budget proposal did not specify the number of Strong Bow missiles to be procured, saying only that the first batch of missiles is scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force starting in 2028.

The missiles will be developed and manufactured by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan's top military research and development institution.

Funding for the Strong Bow program was part of the record-high NT$1.1225 trillion (US$35.3 billion) defense budget proposed for fiscal 2027, equivalent to 3.01 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

It still has to be approved by the Legislative Yuan, which did not approve the 2026 fiscal budget until mid-August 2026.

Strong Bow capabilities

In September 2025, NCSIST President Li Shih-chiang (李世強) said the Strong Bow, an enhanced version of the Tien Kung III system developed by the institute, is designed to intercept high-flying cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at altitudes of up to 70 kilometers.

Lu Chien-sheng (盧健勝), deputy head of the program, said at the time that the enhanced Tien Kung III is a ground-based defense system designed primarily to counter Chinese tactical ballistic missiles.

He said the missile was the first domestically developed surface-to-air missile system to be equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire-control system, giving it greater accuracy and situational awareness, as well as the ability to track and engage multiple targets simultaneously.

The Strong Bow system will operate alongside other ground-based air defense systems, including Taiwan's existing Tien Kung III systems and United States-made Patriot PAC-3 systems, which are capable of intercepting incoming missile threats at lower altitudes, Lu said.

Together, the systems are intended to create a multilayered air defense network for Taiwan, he said.

Meanwhile, the 2027 budget proposal also showed the Army planning to procure 178 of the latest-generation indigenous armored combat vehicles equipped with 105mm assault guns at an estimated cost of NT$57 billion between 2027 and 2033.

The newest eight-wheeled Clouded Leopard combat vehicle is equipped with a so-called "hunter-killer" capability similar to that of the United States-made M1A2 tank, allowing it to engage one target while simultaneously tracking another, according to the vehicle's maker, the MND's Armament Bureau 209th Arsenal in Nantou County.

The domestically-made Clouded Leopard armored vehicle began its service in Taiwan's Army starting in late 2011.