The government yesterday welcomed Washington’s announcement that it would sell Taiwan MQ-9B drones, which are expected to boost the nation’s large-scale maritime reconnaissance and asymmetric combat capabilities.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Tuesday said that it had notified the US Congress of the possible sale to Taiwan of four Weapons-Ready MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$600 million.
Also included were MX-20 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems and spares, SeaVue Maritime Multi-Role Patrol Radars, and SAGE 750 Electronic Surveillance Measures Systems, C-Band Line-of-Sight Ground Data Terminals, personnel training and training equipment, it said.
Photo: Reuters
General Atomic Aeronautical System would be the principle contractor, it added.
Including the new package, the US government has announced three arms sales to Taiwan in two weeks, showing that Washington continues to fulfill its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances” with concrete action, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said yesterday.
The drones would upgrade the military’s round-the-clock reconnaissance and asymmetric combat capabilities, Chang said.
They would allow the military to conduct large-scale maritime patrols and reconnaissance, and, in wartime, identify the positions of the enemy, Association of Strategic Foresight research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) said.
For example, when China conducts drills in the western Pacific, Taiwan could employ the drones to collect information, which would be more efficient than crewed aircraft that require considerable maintenance, he said.
It is significant that the drones are equipped with both reconnaissance and combat capabilities, as indicated by the “weapons-ready” wording in the announcement, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a senior analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
That shows the improved mutual trust between Taiwan and the US in the face of a rising Chinese threat, as the US usually sells drones with only reconnaissance functions, he said.
The sale would assist Taiwan’s development of indigenous aircraft, especially as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is also developing drones, he added.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) yesterday said that Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan contravene the “one China” principle, as well as the three joint communiques between China and the US.
He called on the US to scrap the arms sales to avoid further damaging China-US relations and cross-strait stability, adding that China would implement the requisite responses after following developments.
Additional reporting by CNA
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