Taiwan's Massive, Mega-Powerful Radar System Is Finally Operational

This weird, sloped 10-story green building gives the tiny island nation of Taiwan something that it's wanted for 15 years: early warning of ballistic missiles and warplanes launched from over 3,000 miles away.

For Taiwan, it's a must-have. Neighboring China has over a thousand ballistic and cruise missiles pointed at it. Once launched, the missiles will slam onto the breakaway Chinese province within 10 minutes. Taiwan needs as much early warning as humanly possible if those missiles ever reach the air.

This 105-foot system is about as advanced as early-warning radar arrays get. Known as PAVE PAWS, for Phased Array Warning System, the slopes of the building shown above are huge antennas built into the facade. Unlike a mechanical antenna, you don't have to physically aim a phased-array early warning system, as its 'beam steering' is done electronically. The system creates a 240-degree virtual eye, allowing Taiwan to see deep into China, and even into Japan and North Korea. Only a handful of countries ' the U.S., Russia, maybe China itself ' have this kind of early-warning system.

It's very, very valuable to Taiwan. Constructed on the top of a mountain in the country's north, the Raytheon-built system cost approximately $1.4 billion. Purchasing the system from the United States stretches back to the Clinton administration, with lots of setbacks along the way. Taiwan was so freaked out last year when PAVE PAWS popped up on Apple Maps that it prevailed upon Apple to obscure the image of the system.

But with little international notice, Taiwan declared its PAVE PAWS operational last month. Air Force Lt. Wu Wan-chiao boasted that Taiwan would now have 'more than six minutes' warning in preparation for any surprise attacks.'

Chances are, it's not just benefiting the Taiwanese. 'I would expect the U.S. would have made a deal that the U.S. gets satellite surveillance from the Taiwan radar,' Allen Thomson, a former CIA China analyst, tells Danger Room. 'Most of time it's sitting there watching satellites, and that's about it. The U.S. could certainly could use that information.'

Of course, in an actual war with China, early warning only buys you so much time (minutes, basically). And the PAVE PAWS is an obvious military target for an early wave of a Chinese strike. 'It's a very important system, sitting there on a mountain,' Thompson continues. 'But 10 minutes before it gets blown up, it'll provide warning.'