The Ministry of National Defense is to build a new automated production line with a NT$14 billion (US$431.23 million) budget to meet increasing demand for 155mm artillery shells, a source said yesterday.
The Russia-Ukraine war has created a defense demand that has galvanized many Western nations as well as Ukraine into restarting or building 155mm artillery shell production lines, while the US last year proposed bilateral cooperation in manufacturing such shells.
A government source with knowledge of the matter, who asked to remain anonymous, yesterday said that the ministry has planned a budget of NT$14 billion to construct a new automated production line at Factory 202 of the Armaments Bureau to produce 155mm shells.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-tse, Taipei Times
Part of the budget would also be used to optimize existing shell production lines to boost production capacity, he said.
Factory 202 has already been manufacturing 155mm shells, but its capacity was not fully utilized as the artillery batteries of the army and the marine corps did not frequently conduct live-fire drills and did not consume much of the ammunition, the source said.
However, a new automated production line is required and existing facilities must be enhanced, as demand is expected to surge after the US-Taiwan manufacturing cooperation agreement begins, he said.
If the proposal is passed by both the Executive Yuan and the legislature, it is projected to be a five-year project that runs from next year through 2030 with a budget of about NT$14 billion, the source said.
The new production line would prioritize the manufacturing of 155mm shells and aid the production of 120mm shells for M1A2T tanks, he said.
It would also be used to help meet increasing demand for M230 chain gun shells, the source said.
The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on April 17 visited Factory 202 along with Lieutenant General Yang Chi-jung (楊基榮) to learn more about the ammunition production process and the ministry’s production capacity planning, he said.
During the visit, committee convener Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said that more on-site inspections would be arranged to help the legislature understand the development of the national defense industry.
Ammunition production capacity underlies the maintenance of overall combat power, he said, adding that he expects the committee to help the ministry boost combat readiness and the defense industry’s resilience.
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