Tel Aviv: Taiwan is developing a multi- layered air defence system that resembles the one that is operational in Israel. All this happens when Taiwan’s leadership believes a war with China is only a matter of time and therefore has enhanced its preparations.Â
Taipei is preparing its citizens for possible crises as the island nation feels the strain of China’s aggressive actions. Beijing has been using strategic military actions to seize control of Taiwan, which it views as its own territory.
Israeli sources said that the recent war between Israel and Iran was a boost to the Taiwanese effort. “They saw the performance of the Israeli multi-layered air defence system and in parallel the close military ties between China and Iran and made their decisions,” one source said.
The sources pointed to the fact that in spite of being an ally of the US, Taiwan does not want to rely only on US made technologies, like Israel did when it decided to develop the Arrow ballistic missiles interceptor.
The most recent action in this direction taken by Taipei is developing the TK-4 anti-tactical ballistic missile (ATBM) system to counter growing threats from advanced Chinese tactical and ballistic missiles by creating a higher-altitude, more survivable, and domestically produced missile defence capability.
The TK-4 is part of Taiwan’s ongoing strategy to modernise its multi-layer missile defence network and achieve strategic autonomy as PLA missile arsenals grow in size, sophistication, and operational tempo.
China has expended its arsenal of advanced ballistic and cruise missiles, many capable of saturating and overwhelming older, lower-altitude defences. Current Taiwanese systems like Tien Kung-2/3 and imported Patriot PAC-2/3 have interception altitude limits, and saturation attacks from China would challenge these defences.
The TK-4, with a new two-stage solid motor and Ka-band seeker, offers interception altitudes of up to 70 km—well above the TK-3’s 45 km and the Patriot PAC-3’s 24 km—and speeds up to Mach 7. It provides coverage against medium-range ballistic missiles, enabling interception further up in the missile’s trajectory and before warhead separation or manoeuvring, a limitation for previous systems.
The system uses a phased-array radar and advanced fire control, reflecting influences from Israeli Arrow-2 and US THAAD/AN/TPY-2 designs, signaling Taiwan’s desire for higher-tier, indigenous missile defence.
Live-fire and integration testing have confirmed the system’s maturity, and mass production is underway for 2026 deployment, aiming to field 122 launchers by 2028 as part of the broader Strong Bow (Chiang Kung) programme.
In the past, the US has denied Taiwan requests for some advanced defence systems. The most critical one was the refusal to sell the THAAD air defence systems to Taiwan.
The TK-4 programme enhances Taiwan’s strategic autonomy by reducing dependence on foreign restrictions, such as previous US refusals to transfer certain radar seeker technologies, and enables defence against longer-range, faster, and more evasive missile threats.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
