Taiwan has commenced the production of the TC-2 air defense system in full swing, following comprehensive tests by the developer, i.e., the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).
The Republic of China (RoC) military had previously rejected the missile owing to what local media reports suggested were incomplete tests that did not demonstrate the whole system.
The TC-2 uses the Sky Sword II missile and is a part of Taiwan’s effort to have a “layered” air defense, engaging progressively larger and overlapping aerial zones from the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.
Previously, Taiwan has produced units of another advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM), the Tien Kung-III (TK-III) or Sky Bow-3, to replace the older US-made MIM-23 Hawk and TK-II platforms.
Layered Defense From Chinese Missiles
According to a report in Taiwan News, the system first underwent a series of tests in March to evaluate its performance but failed to meet the Army’s requirements. It cleared a second round of evaluations in July, following which the Ministry of Defense (MND) agreed to large-scale production.
The NCSIST did not conduct a “full-system functional joint test,” and the project was judged “unsatisfactory” by the Army. The developer then agreed to “a full-system joint test procedure” in July. “The land-launched missile system is now fully engaged in mass production,” the report added.
The Army plans to purchase 30 mobile missile launchers, six combat control centers, six phased-array radar systems, and 246 Sky Sword II air defense missiles for NT$8.8 billion (US$278 million).
The Sky Sword II can reach up to 15 kilometers and will be deployed alongside the US-made Avenger missile system. One system can fire between 16 and 20 Sky Sword II missiles. “The operational deployment is intended to fill Taiwan’s air defense gaps, achieving a ‘heavily layered interception’ effect in a ‘hybrid configuration.’” This puts the Sky Sword-II/TC-2 in the short-medium range category, ahead of the Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) Avenger system.
A complete “field air defense weapon system” comprises a Bee Eye phase radar vehicle, a command and control vehicle, a land-launched Jian-II missile launcher, and an ammunition carrier.