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Taiwan Blames Apple Maps For Revealing Its $1.2 Billion Top-Secret Radar Base

RadarIt's no secret Apple Maps is leaving many people people frustrated, but perhaps none so much as the Taiwanese defense ministry who claim Apple is guilty of revealing its secret military sites.

PhysOrg reports ministry officials claim "secretive" military sites on the island are clearly visible in the iO6 map app and are asking Apple to lower the resolution of their satellite images, like Google did in the past.

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Apple has yet to formally receive the request, however, so an official response from the company has yet to appear. 

Apparently the defense ministry acted in response to a picture in the Liberty Times newspaper showing a top-secret radar base in the northern county of Hsinchu.

From PhyOrg:

The Hsinchu base houses a cutting-edge long-range radar procured from the United States in 2003. Construction of the radar is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The ultra-high-frequency radar, supplied by US defence group Raytheon, is capable of detecting missiles launched as far away as Xinjiang in China's northwest, military officials say.

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They say the radar, which cost Tw$36 billion ($1.23 billion), is designed to give Taiwan minutes of extra warning in case of a Chinese missile attack.

Local officials estimate China has more than 1,500 ballistic missiles aimed at the island and radar stations like Hsinchu are what will protect Taiwan in case of attack.

Now: See why every aircraft carrier has a Ouija board > 

Military Defense
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