What Is T-Dome That Taiwan Plans To Build To Counter China Threats

Taiwan's government has proposed $40 billion in extra defence spending over several years, with the focus on developing a multi-layered air defence system dubbed "T-Dome."

The system will be designed to protect the democratic island against a potential attack by Chinese fighter jets, missiles or drones.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has promised to speed up construction of the T-Dome to create "a safety net" for Taiwan and counter what he calls China's "intensifying" threat to the island and region.

Here is what we know about the T-Dome:

What is it? 

The T-Dome was announced by Lai on October 10 and has drawn comparisons with Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system. 

But there are key differences. While the Iron Dome is designed mainly for short-range weapons, the T-Dome will face a "much wider array of threats", Taipei-based security analyst J. Michael Cole said.

"This is aimed at PLA aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as, increasingly, drones," said Cole, using the acronym for China's People's Liberation Army.

Taiwan already has air defence systems, including the US-built Patriot and domestically-made Sky Bow systems. And it is waiting to receive National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System fire units from the United States.

The T-Dome will integrate these with radars, sensors and other advanced technology to provide what Lai describes as "high-level detection and effective interception".

"If you do not integrate these detection devices, then those air-defence missiles, whether for counter-fire, counter-attack or counter-drone purposes, can't achieve efficient interception or effective fire coordination and allocation," Defence Minister Wellington Koo has said.

The T-Dome will have two major components, said Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taipei's Institute for National Defense and Security Research. It will have a command and control system that "collects radar data, identifies threats, decides which interceptor should fire, and coordinates all units so they react within seconds," Su said.

The other part will be the "interceptor layer" -- the weapons used to "shoot down incoming threats" at different altitudes.

Why does Taiwan need it?

Taiwan has learned vital lessons from Ukraine on the importance of having air defence systems that can protect combat forces, critical infrastructure and civilian buildings.

While Taiwan has been upgrading its military over the past decade and has spent billions of dollars on US arms, it would be outgunned in a conflict with China.

Having the ability to "neutralise" a sudden Chinese missile strike would help deter Beijing from attacking, Su said.

Su said Chinese warships routinely deployed near Taiwan are capable of firing hundreds of missiles at Taiwan's airports, radar sites and military bases "within three minutes".

That does not include the hundreds of missiles China has on land. 

"This is why Taiwan needs an integrated air defence system capable of responding to these emerging challenges," Su said.

When will it be ready? 

That depends on a range of factors, including when the United States can deliver the weapons and technology needed. 

Taiwan is already waiting for billions of dollars' worth of US arms. 

The defence ministry has published a list of items it plans to procure with the new budget, including precision artillery, long-range precision-strike missiles, anti-ballistic and anti-armour missiles, and unmanned systems.

The opposition-controlled parliament has not yet approved the budget and it is not clear what Taiwan plans to buy from the United States, but Lai said there would be "significant" US arms acquisitions.

Lai said Wednesday that Taiwan's military aims to have a "high level" of joint combat readiness by 2027 -- which US officials have previously cited as a possible timeline for a Chinese attack on the island -- and "highly resilient and comprehensive deterrent defence capabilities by 2033". 

"Completing the entire T-Dome architecture before 2027 is impossible," said Su.

"System integration and the production of new interceptors -- missiles, anti-aircraft guns, and directed-energy weapons -- will all take time." 

Readiness does not only depend on deliveries, said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"It really comes down to how you define effectiveness, how you define readiness and what's included in T-Dome," Thompson said.

"Are they counting war reserve munitions? Do they have enough missiles in storage? Are they distributed?" 

And it also requires the military "learning how to operate" the systems.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)