Taiwan National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
Sky Bow III
Taiwan's indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile system, developed by NCSIST for national air and missile defense against Chinese aircraft and ballistic threats. It uses an active radar seeker and phased-array fire-control radar comparable to the Patriot PAC-3.
In service since 2015 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
200
km range
45,000
m altitude
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Taiwan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2015. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 200 km Stronger than 85% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 45,000 m Stronger than 88% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- Vertical-launch surface-to-air missile battery
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Active radar homing, Command guidance mid-course
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Chang Bai phased-array fire-control radar
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the engagement range of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III? +
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III has a maximum engagement range of 200 km.
What is the main armament of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III? +
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III's primary weapon is the Vertical-launch surface-to-air missile battery.
What is the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III used for? +
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III? +
The National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology Sky Bow III is operated by 1 countries.
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