Indo-Pacific — 2026-07-12

Taiwan Pave Paws Radar Tracked China SLBM Launch and Shared Data with US in Bilateral Intelligence Exchange

BLUFTaipei's deliberate publicization of shared tracking data positions the Pave Paws radar as a bilateral strategic asset, reinforcing Taiwan's indispensability to US early-warning architecture in the Western Pacific.

Taiwan's AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws radar at the Leshan Radar Station in Hsinchu County tracked a Chinese submarine-launched ballistic missile shortly after it launched from waters near China's southern coast 12. A senior Taiwanese official cited by Liberty Times, as relayed by the South China Morning Post 2 and Interesting Engineering 1, said Taipei shared the tracking data with Washington, which continued monitoring by satellite and long-range radar after the missile passed beyond the radar's roughly 5,000-kilometer range. National Security Council Secretary General Joseph Wu posted a map identifying the missile as a JL-2, showing it flew over the northern Philippines before landing in international waters between Nauru and Tonga 1. Beijing has not confirmed the missile type, and analysts remain divided between the JL-2 and the newer JL-3 1.

Analysis
Taipei's decision to publicize the Pave Paws detection and share tracking data with Washington reads as deliberate signaling of bilateral early-warning integration rather than routine disclosure, though the single-source footing (Liberty Times' primary account, repackaged by SCMP and Interesting Engineering without independent confirmation) leaves that read provisional. Wu's public identification of the missile as a JL-2, unconfirmed by Beijing and contested among analysts favoring the newer JL-3, exposes a gap between raw detection and confirmed technical attribution that bears on assessing PLA underwater deterrent modernization. The labeling may reflect political messaging to reinforce Taipei's early-warning credibility as much as a settled technical call.

3 sources

US-built early-warning radar helped Taiwan spot China's submarine-launched ballistic missile - Interesting Engineering
The radar system that Taiwan says tracked the PLA's ballistic missile launch - South China Morning Post
吳釗燮點出「巨浪-2」飛彈及路徑靠的是「樂山大佛」第一手情資 - Liberty Times (自由時報/自由軍武頻道)