All 1,700 TOW-2B missiles that the government has procured from the US would be delivered by the end of this year, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday.
Koo was briefing lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee about progress that had been made regarding arms procurements from the US to enhance the nation’s sea and air combat capabilities.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) asked Koo when Washington would begin delivery of an arms package of 1,700 TOW-2B missiles and 100 launch systems that was scheduled to begin in 2022 and for which the government budgeted about NT$11.8 billion (US$364.37 million).
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
So far, none of the weapons systems listed in the package has arrived, Wang said.
Koo said that the TOW-2B missile package is one of three main weapons deliveries from the US that have been delayed.
“The delivery of the missiles was delayed, because they did not pass an evaluation by the US Army. The missiles passed the evaluation after being remade. All TOW-2B missiles the government has purchased are to be delivered in the fourth quarter,” Koo said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Wang asked if “all of the TOW-2B missiles” could actually be delivered, to which Koo replied: “Yes.”
Regarding the delayed delivery of 66 F-16V jets, Koo said that two prototype jets are to be delivered in the fourth quarter for testing.
The government has asked that the fighter jets be delivered by the end of 2026, he said.
The redesigned TOW-2B missiles can be used to attack tanks and bunkers, and destroy landing ships, which would greatly bolster Taiwan’s defense capabilities, defense officials said.
Meanwhile, Koo said that the ministry would establish an advanced defense technology task force that would be in charge of combining key technologies from Taiwan and abroad to accelerate the pace of building combat capabilities for asymmetric warfare.
Koo earlier this month said that the task forse, which is similar to the US Defense Innovation Unit, would be part of the ministry’s Department of Integrated Assessment.
He said that he would oversee the operations of the task force, which would ensure that resources and research and development by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and private defense contractors are integrated more efficiently.
However, Koo also said the task force could not operate like the US’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which has sufficient funding to finance studies in any new discipline.
Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez on Sunday won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernandez’s nearest rival, economist Alvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. With 94 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves had captured 48.3 percent of the vote compared with Ramos’ 33.4 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. As soon as the first results were announced, members of Fernandez’s Sovereign People’s Party
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
GROWING AMBITIONS: The scale and tempo of the operations show that the Strait has become the core theater for China to expand its security interests, the report said Chinese military aircraft incursions around Taiwan have surged nearly 15-fold over the past five years, according to a report released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs. Sorties in the Taiwan Strait were previously irregular, totaling 380 in 2020, but have since evolved into routine operations, the report showed. “This demonstrates that the Taiwan Strait has become both the starting point and testing ground for Beijing’s expansionist ambitions,” it said. Driven by military expansionism, China is systematically pursuing actions aimed at altering the regional “status quo,” the department said, adding that Taiwan represents the most critical link in China’s
‘REALLY PROUD’: Nvidia would not be possible without Taiwan, Huang said, adding that TSMC would be increasing its capacity by 100 percent Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday praised and lightly cajoled his major Taiwanese suppliers to produce more to help power strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI), capping a visit to the country of his birth, where he has been mobbed by adoring fans at every step. Speaking at an impromptu press conference in the rain outside a Taipei restaurant, where he had hosted suppliers for a “trillion-dollar dinner,” named after the market capitalization of those firms attending, Huang said this would be another good year for business. “TSMC needs to work very hard this year because I need a lot
RSS