Taiwan hopes to increase the number of Stinger missiles being obtained via US arms sales almost fivefold from 500 systems to 2,485, the Ministry of National Defense told lawmakers in a budget report.
The army would take over the Stinger program from the navy and change the order to add 1,985 missiles and 549 gripstock-control groups, as well as identification friend or foe (IFF) transponders, the ministry said in the document filed to the legislature last week.
Delivery of the missiles was scheduled to be completed in 2031, it said.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
The budget allotted to the program would increase to NT$69 billion (US$2.16 billion) from NT$13.37 billion, it said.
The US has authorized the changes to the deal, the ministry added.
The ministry said it initially planned to buy 250 missiles, 108 gripstocks and 108 IFF transponders for the army, and 250 missiles, 70 gripstocks and 62 transponders for the navy. The navy later added 45 missiles, 15 gripstocks and 15 transponders to its order. Whether the revised deal includes the navy’s addition was unknown.
A defense official said on condition of anonymity that the ministry increased the order to deal with a rise in tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone by the Chinese military show that ground forces urgently need to boost their air defense capabilities against aircraft and drones, the official said.
The FIM-92 Stinger, a short-range surface-to-air missile with a range of 4,800m, is typically operated by a crew of two, but can be fired by a single operator.
The first batch of Stinger missiles — to be delivered next year — would go to army and marine units, military police guarding Taipei, navy ships and coast guard garrisons in the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), the ministry said.
The second batch to be delivered by 2031 would be held in reserve, it added.
Separately, the ministry said in the budget report that the air force next year is expected to spend a record NT$43.7 billion on maintenance and repairs to sustain its aircraft and facilities.
The sum would be a 16 percent increase compared with NT$36.8 billion this year and a 50 percent increase compared with last year, the report said.
Next year’s budget includes a NT$23.7 billion component to obtain spare parts for aircraft from fighter jets to cargo planes, as well as ground equipment, and NT$20 billion for maintenance and repair, it said.
Air force expenditure to maintain weapons systems and facilities have increased 224 percent in the past eight years.
Beijing’s military flights around Taiwan began when Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was elected president in 2016 and escalated after then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in 2022.
Tasked with monitoring and intercepting Chinese aircraft, the air force has been increasing spending on airframe maintenance and placed an order for 66 Lockheed-Martin F-16V jets and parts, which the US is expected to deliver in full by 2026.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS