Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday.
Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year.
Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added.
Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of striking targets 70 to 85km away, or one ATACMS, which has a range of 300km and circular error probability of 5 to 10m.
On May 12, the 58th Artillery Command conducted the first live-fire HIMARS drill at Jiupeng Base in Pingtung County’s Manzhou Township (滿州). The system was also tested by the Army Command Headquarters in June.
Photo courtesy of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
The military is also planning to purchase nine additional sets of NASAMS, an L-band electronic array radar and a non-L-band electronic array radar to bolster the air defense of central and southern Taiwan, as well as 339 missiles of various types, the sources said.
Taiwan and the US previously signed a NT$24.99 billion (US$837 million) procurement contract for three NASAMS.
The first set of the three is expected to be delivered by the end of this year, sources said, adding that the NASAMS would be deployed near the capital to bolster its air defense.
The NASAMS can fire missiles used by fighter jets if the runways have been bombed, enabling air defense even if fighters are unable to take off, the source said.
If NASAMS are equipped with the extended range version of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, they would have a range of 50km, complementing the air force’s longer-range Patriot and Tien Kung missiles, as well as the shorter-range surface-launched Tien Chien II and AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Air Defense System, they added.
The planned procurement of the additional 28 sets of HIMARS would cost about NT$40 billion, while the planned purchase of nine more NASAMS and missiles of various types is expected to cost NT$110 billion, they said.
Upon approval by the Executive Yuan, the military would first deliver the special act for military procurements to the legislature for review, sources said.
The draft special budget act for military procurements would be delivered to the legislature after the special act for military procurements is passed, and only then would the special budget amount be made known, they added.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS