Taiwan has signed a NT$24.99 billion (US$761 million) procurement contract with the US for three Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to aid air defense capabilities in northern Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
The contract was signed by the Defense Mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan, amounting to nearly NT$24.99 billion with a six-year time limit for contract performance that runs from Jan. 14 through Dec. 31, 2030, the ministry said in a statement published on the Government e-Procurement System yesterday.
The NASAMS would be delivered to Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), where they are expected to be deployed, it said.
Photo: screen grab from the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Web site
A source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that there is a chance of the first NASAMS being delivered by the end of this year.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on Oct. 25 last year said that the US Department of State had approved three arms sales to Taiwan, including the NASAMS, an L-band AN/TPS-77 long-range radar system and an S-band AN/TPS-78 long-range radar system, which were initially projected to cost about NT$65.2 billion.
The ministry last month said that contracts for the three arms procurements would be signed and delivered by 2034.
The ministry signed four procurement contracts for NASAMS with the US which cost NT$49.3 billion, much less than the NT$65.2 billion estimated and announced by the US government, the source said.
The actual expenditure could be lower because it depends on raw material prices, production costs, order quantities and competing buyers, the source said.
As the ministry’s budget for NASAMS procurement remains classified for this fiscal year, the actual amount of the procurement would not be unveiled until the classified budget is disclosed next year, they said.
According to the DSCA, the new procurement of three NASAMS also included 123 AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, which have a range of up to 50km.
The missiles would be deployed in Taipei and New Taipei City to complete the air defense capabilities in that area in addition to the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Tien Kung (Sky Bow), Lu Chien II (Land Sword II) and AN/TWQ-1 Avenger missile systems.
The use of NASAMS would boost operational flexibility, as they are compatible with the ammunition employed by F-16 aircraft, including AIM-120 missiles and AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles.
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
‘INVESTMENT’: Rubio and Arevalo said they discussed the value of democracy, and Rubio thanked the president for Guatemala’s strong diplomatic relationship with Taiwan Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Guatemala City on Wednesday where they signed a deal for Guatemala to accept migrants deported from the US, while Rubio commended Guatemala for its support for Taiwan and said the US would do all it can to facilitate greater Taiwanese investment in Guatemala. Under the migrant agreement announced by Arevalo, the deportees would be returned to their home countries at US expense. It is the second deportation deal that Rubio has reached during a Central America trip that has been focused mainly on immigration. Arevalo said his
‘SOVEREIGN AI’: As of Nov. 19 last year, Taiwan was globally ranked No. 11 for having computing power of 103 petaflops. The governments wants to achieve 1,200 by 2029 The government would intensify efforts to bolster its “Sovereign Artificial Intelligence [AI]” program by setting a goal of elevating the nation’s collective computing power in the public and private sectors to 1,200 peta floating points per second (petaflops) by 2029, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The goal was set to fulfill President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision of turning Taiwan into an “AI island.” Sovereign AI refers to a nation’s capabilities to produce AI using its own infrastructure, data, workforce and business networks. One petaflop allows 1 trillion calculations per second. As of Nov. 19 last year, Taiwan was globally ranked No. 11 for
Israel yesterday said it has begun preparations for the departure of large numbers of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in line with US President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory, while Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes to try and head off the plan. The Trump administration has already dialed back aspects of the proposal after it was widely rejected internationally, saying the relocation of Palestinians would be temporary. US officials have provided few details about how or when the plan would be carried out. Trump yesterday said that Israel would turn Gaza over to the US after the
RSS