The US has accelerated its delivery of military equipment purchased by Taiwan, including 16 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that arrived on Jan. 7, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said, greatly bolstering the nation’s capability to deter military aggression from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Apart from 84 long-range guided missiles, the defense package also includes 29 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the US Army, as well as 64 precision rockets, two training simulators and associated equipment, the ministry said in its latest written report to the legislature.
For the procurement of the defense package, the ministry had allocated a budget of NT$32.52 billion (US$1.08 billion) that was to be paid out from 2020 to 2027.
Photo: CNA
The ATACMS, which have a shooting range of 300km, are scheduled to be delivered in two phases: 64 in the first phase and 20 in the second phase.
The first batch of 64 missiles —16 in total — arrived on Jan. 7, the report said, with the remaining 48 missiles scheduled to arrive during the first quarter. That means all 64 should have arrived if the delivery was on schedule.
Eleven sets of HIMARS and two training simulators were received on Sept. 26 last year.
Photo courtesy of the US Army via AP
Meanwhile, 18 sets of HIMARS, 20 ATACMS and 864 precision rockets are scheduled to arrive between next year and 2027.
To ensure on-time delivery, the ministry has project liaison officers stationed in the US to audit the production progress at US military arsenals every two months. This is to ensure strict oversight, and that the second batch of equipment and ammunition is completed and delivered between next year and 2027, the ministry said.
The first batch of 38 M1 tanks and five missile launch vehicles from the first batch of the shore-based Harpoon missile system have also arrived in Taiwan, the ministry added.
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