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.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS