Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) yesterday confirmed that Taiwan has requested a purchase of M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers from the US, in a bid to beef up its defense capabilities.
During a hearing of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Yen said that the Paladin has the specifications, such as a quick reload and big firepower, to meet Taiwan’s territorial defense needs.
However, Yen did not disclose how many of the self-propelled M109A6 howitzers Taiwan was hoping to buy from the US.
The deal was first reported by Chinese-language media in July.
Reports said that Taiwan was planning to buy 100 howitzers, but the Ministry of Defense did not confirm the reports.
In response to legislators’ questions, Republic of China Army Chief of Staff Yang Hai-ming (楊海明) said that the army’s rangefinder and positioning systems are partly digitized and that equipment could be upgraded to maximize the capabilities of the Paladin artillery.
Taiwan’s army units have M109A5, M109A2, M114 and M110A2 howitzers in their inventories, with the M109A5 being the newest.
The army ordered the M109A5s in 1996, the year of the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, and took delivery of them in 1998.
Compared with the M109A5, the Paladin is superior with regards to reliability, availability, maintainability, armament and survivability, said a military source, who asked to remain anonymous.
The Paladin can fire a round within 60 seconds while on the move, and its “shoot and scoot” capability enables it to avoid counter-battery fire, the source said, adding that it it has a range of 30km using assisted rounds.
Yen’s confirmation of the plan to buy the Paladin howitzers follows the US’ approval of two arms packages to Taiwan in the past two months, which include 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks and 66 F-16 Block 70/72 jets.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS