The army has placed an order with the US for thousands of FIM-92 Stinger missiles worth NT$11.02 billion (US$358.91 million) on top of a previous order by the Ministry of National Defense for 2,621 Stinger systems for NT$69 billion, a military source said yesterday.
The army ordered the missiles to increase its stores, while the ministry purchase was to procure arms and support equipment, the source said.
Taiwan is one of the few countries that deploy the entire Stinger family of products, including Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), the Dual-mount Stinger system, the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Air Defense System and helicopter-launched Stinger missiles, the source said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The army’s purchase was likely to top up its stores for the Dual-mount, the Avenger and the helicopter-launched systems, they said.
The MANPADS, which were used in the Han Kuang exercises, were provided by the US as part of its military aid package and were not part of foreign arms procurement deals, the ministry said.
The first batch of 500 missiles in the ministry purchase is expected to arrive by the end of the year, with the shipment to be divided between the navy and the army, the source said.
The remaining systems would be delivered in installments, with the army expected to receive 1,985 missiles, 549 launchers and 549 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems by 2031, they said.
The navy is expected to receive 45 missiles, 15 launchers and 15 IFF systems in the same year, they added.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s budget for this year shows that the air force has NT$4.9 billion to purchase Hsiung Sheng (雄昇) missile launcher trucks and 11 other items across six years.
The Hsiung Sheng missiles, approved for small-scale production with a budget of NT$17 billion, has a range of 1,000km and would bolster the military’s countermeasure capacity against China.
Separately, the ministry is also bolstering its logistics capabilities.
An announcement on the E-Procurement Web site said that it has inked a deal with the American Institute in Taiwan to purchase the M232A2 Modular Artillery Charge System (MACS).
The MACS uses an incremental “build a charge” system in which components are combined in specific numbers for different firing zones, providing the propellant for weapons such as M109A2 self-propelled howitzers.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
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