The US is likely to approve the sale of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) to Taiwan by the end of this year for use by its Lockheed Martin F-16Vs, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said yesterday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark hours after the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the export of 50 JASSMs to Japan for US$104 million.
Taiwan has long sought to obtain the US-made JASSMs, including the AGM-158 base model with a range of 370km, and the AGM-158B, which reportedly has a range of 1,000km, the official said.
Photo: Screen grab from Lockheed Martin’s Web site
That Washington announced its missile deal with Japan could signify that the US is ready to respond positively to Taiwan’s request for JASSMs, weapons that Taipei has long sought, the official said.
Taiwan is keen to obtain long-range weapon systems capable of deep, precision strikes as part of its strategy of deterrence and defense against a potential Chinese invasion.
The Ministry of National Defense’s budget report for fiscal 2024 has been delivered to the Legislative Yuan.
Whether a missile deal is included in the ministry’s general budget is classified information, and the ministry will disclose the information to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, the official said.
The ministry in January announced plans to spend NT$4.51 billion to acquire long-range precision weapons for the air force’s F-16 fleet.
Taiwan’s Defense Mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan have signed a deal to transfer three types of missiles and bombs, the official said, adding that they would boost the air-to-air, land attack and anti-ship capabilities of F-16 jets.
According to other sources in the military, the long-range precision weapons could be 100km and 380km-range JASSMs, the AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response and the glide bomb AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon.
The Legislative Yuan is scheduled to discuss the defense budget with ministry officials this week.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS