The Switchblade 300 loitering munitions and ALTIUS 600M-V uncrewed aerial vehicles that Taiwan has ordered from the US are scheduled for delivery between this year and the next, the US Department of State said on Wednesday.
The department on Tuesday notified the US Congress of its approval of the possible Foreign Military Sales of up to 720 Switchblade 300 and up to 291 ALTIUS 600M-V to Taiwan.
The drones, estimated at a cost of US$300 million, would represent the 15th arms sale package to Taiwan under US President Joe Biden’s administration.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Asked about the sales, the US Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said in a written response on Wednesday that “both sales are for delivery in 2024-2025,” but it did not specify whether the full supply of 1,011 weapons systems would be delivered within that time frame.
However, US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers said that he believed the delivery would be completed in the next 18 months.
“There is no industrial base issue with delivery in this timeline,” he said in a written response. “That would have been a consideration for these programs.”
A loitering munition is a drone designed to loiter around an area and then attack the target when spotted.
The loitering munitions supply to Taiwan can complement the various precision missiles the nation already has and, coupled with domestically manufactured drones, would accelerate Taiwan’s efforts to create a multi-layered deterrence system, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The US’ decision to supply the drones, which have reconnaissance and immediate strike capabilities, would help Taiwan respond more quickly to enemy threats, the ministry said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS