Part of a package of man-portable air-defense (MANPAD) Stinger missile systems was delivered to Taiwan last year, sources familiar with the issue said yesterday.
Capital defense units, such as the Military Police, the Marine Corps and the army’s special forces units, were prioritized to receive the weapons, which were authorized by the US’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, the sources said.
The NDAA for the last fiscal year included provisions to provide US$10 billion in grants — US$2 billion over the next five years — for Taiwan to buy US-made weapons.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
The NDAA also paved the way for 1,000 M240B machine guns, 8,000 sets of combat gear, tethered aerostat radar systems and coastal surface-to-air Harpoon missile systems, the sources said.
While news media have reported that Washington might provide Taiwan with four MQ-9A Reaper drones, the drones need to be paired with real-time ground stations to be 100 percent functional, the sources added.
The M240B guns have a broader range of uses, including on helicopters, combat vehicles, tanks and small boats, they said, adding that Taiwan procured the weapon for use across the military and for the Coast Guard Administration.
The navy has budgeted NT$13.37 billion (US$427.94 million) to purchase 500 additional Stinger missiles, half of which would go to the army and the other half to the Marine Corps or naval vessels, the sources said.
The second batch is expected to be delivered later this year, they said.
A Ministry of National Defense budget showed that Army Command Headquarters has set aside NT$7.26 billion, covering 2019 to next year, for 250 Stinger missiles, 108 gripstock-control groups — which attach to a shoulder-fired guided missile launch tube — and 108 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders.
Navy Command Headquarters has allotted NT$6.19 billion from 2017 to next year for 250 Stinger missiles, 70 gripstock-control groups and 62 IFF systems.
Department of Strategic Planning director Lee Shih-chiang (李世強) in October last year said that the grip controls for the MANPADs are capable of loading Avenger missiles and missiles used for dual-mounted Stinger systems.
The army ordered the extra grip controls for tactical flexibility, Lee said.
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
RSS