Raytheon was awarded a nearly US$700 million contract to produce National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) fire units destined for Taiwan, expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2031, the US Department of Defense announced on Monday.
The award was placed by the US Army Contracting Command and is part of a broader Foreign Military Sales package intended to strengthen Taiwan’s ground-based air defense.
The US Department of State on Thursday last week announced a US$330 million sale of fighter jet parts to Taiwan, the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump began his second term.
Photo: Screen grab from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Web site
The Ministry of National Defense last year said that US-supplied NASAMS units, proven effective in the Russia-Ukraine war, would strengthen Taiwan’s air defenses, especially amid frequent Chinese military activity around the Taiwan Strait.
The NASAMS units would be paired with two new radar systems, effectively boosting target detection and anti-interference capabilities, and could be deployed with existing air-defense units to form a stronger multilayered defense, the ministry said.
Next year’s national defense budget included about NT$35.7 billion (US$1.15 billion) for the NASAMS program running from last year to 2030, with the purchasing scope including radar, launch systems, training and pre-delivery preparations.
The air force said that growing airborne threats to key bases and radar sites require a mobile, integrated air-defense system that can distribute firepower and build a multilayered interception network to protect critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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