[FPSPACE] Pave Paws for Taiwan

[Allen Thomson]

This is slightly, potentially space-like, a point we'll get to presently.

The long range surveillance radar the US Air Force recently contracted with 
Raytheon to build for Taiwan is apparently the Pave Paws that was offered to 
Taiwan as a consolation prize for not getting some Aegis destroyers in the 
waning days of the Clinton Administration:

http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/2005/ct20050623.html
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/02/15/2003223135
http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/91-no2.htm .

Based on the reported location in Hsinchu County, PRC missile deployments 
and the characteristics of Pave Paws,  I think they might be talking about a 
single-face system boresighted at around 300-310 degrees azimuth.  Or not --  
the two-sided system probably isn't all that much more expensive and looks 
cooler.  http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=168

Space hook:  The American Pave Pawses, when not detecting incoming ballistic 
missiles, are used as "collateral" sensors in the USSPACECOM space 
surveilance network. ( See above factsheet and 
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-18/au18004c.htm )  So, unless some 
software enhancements are made to exclude this capability, the Taiwan Pave 
Paws could have a similar LEO space surveillance capability -- if they're 
interested in LEO space surveillance.

The thought also occurs that the Pave Paws signals could be exploited in a 
fairly cheap transmitter-of-opportunity bistatic LEO space surveillance 
system by the  PRC -- if they're interested in LEO space surveillance.