Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) The Patriot missile is scheduled to undergo live test firings in Taiwan in 2001, sources at the Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday.
The sources said that Taiwan took delivery of the Patriot missiles, made famous during the Persian Gulf War, from the United States in 1996. The missiles were formally deployed after passing combat readiness tests in July 1998.
They noted that if Taiwan does conduct live Patriot missile tests on the island, this will represent the first time that a country which has deployed Patriot missiles tests the surface-to-air missiles on its own territory.
They pointed out that a US combat proficiency team came to Taiwan in July 1998 to help the ROC Army carry out combat readiness tests on the missiles. The team later gave high marks to the training of Taiwan's Patriot missile battery, saying that it was one of the best in the world.
The US team came to Taiwan again in mid-1999 to assess the feasibility of live test firings of the missiles on the island, sources said.
They pointed out that the US had conducted live tests in the US for Patriot missiles sold to other countries, including those sold to Japan.
They added that the ROC military has been actively engaged in coordinating with the US since last year and has expressed the hope that live tests firings might be conducted in Taiwan. (By Lilian Wu)
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