The Unites States Department of Defense on Tuesday notified the US Congress of a possible sale to Taiwan of an upgrade to Taiwan's Patriot missile defense systems. The deal would be worth close to one billion US dollars.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that Taiwan has requested upgrades to three existing Patriot units. This would involve supplying ground support equipment so the batteries can be armed with the latest Patriot interceptor missiles.

The deal is aimed at strengthening Taiwan's defense capability against a potential missile attack from China. The Pentagon estimates that China currently has approximately 1,000 short range missiles aimed at Taiwan. China has already signaled its opposition to the proposed deal.