The military has allocated funds to buy more M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers from the US after canceling its original plan to purchase M109A6 “Paladin” self-propelled howitzers, a proposed defense budget showed yesterday.
The proposal, which was sent to the legislature for review, indicates that the army is planning to buy 29 HIMARS, a truck-mounted, multiple-launch system, 18 more than originally planned.
It is also aiming to buy 84 ATACMS, a long-range guided missile system, up from 64 that it originally wanted, as well as 864 precision rockets that can be used by HIMARS, which has a strike distance of 300km, the proposal showed.
Photo: AFP
The total budget is set at NT$32.5 billion (US$1.07 billion), with the first batch of 11 HIMARS expected to be delivered in 2024 if the order is made, the proposal showed.
The plan is to provide high-precision, high-mobility, long-distance firepower to Taiwan’s frontline islands to eliminate invading enemy forces, as it would be difficult to quickly reinforce such locations, the army said.
The decision to buy more HIMARS was made after the army decided not to buy 40 Paladins, with the Ministry of National Defense in May saying that the US informed it that the self-propelled howitzers would not be delivered on time due to inadequate production capacity.
Instead, Washington proposed other long-range, precision-strike weapon systems such as HIMARS, the ministry said in a news release at the time.
The government last week announced its general budget plan for fiscal 2023, which showed an increase in proposed spending on national defense next year of nearly 14 percent, or more than NT$70 billion, from this year.
The money would fund the development of domestically built warships and warplanes, improve equipment and weaponry for troops, boost the nation’s reserve forces and develop asymmetrical warfare tactics, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan and the US have signed a NT$21.7 billion deal for four MQ-9B SeaGuardian aerial drones with ground control stations and other support systems, with the units scheduled for delivery in 2025.
The deal inked by the air force and the American Institute in Taiwan is implemented through December 2029, when installation of the support systems is to be completed, the ministry said in a contract notice yesterday.
The contract’s implementation timetable is a year longer than previously negotiated.
The price tag includes NT$16.88 billion for the drones themselves, with the remainder for control stations, technical training and operational expenses related to the procurement, it said.
The implementation of the contract would take place partially or entirely in Hualien County, it said.
A defense official said that the drones would boost the military due to their long loiter time, all-weather observation and surveillance sensors, and their ability to launch airstrikes.
The drones can directly support combat troops, or disrupt enemy operations, the official said.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS