TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The delivery of portable Stinger missile launchers from the United States is likely to be completed during 2025, reports said Saturday (Oct. 22).

Earlier in the year, reports had hinted at delays mainly due to U.S. arms supplies to the Ukraine taking priority. However, in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan, the Ministry of National Defense said the close contacts between its office in the U.S. and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) had been essential in avoiding delays.

On Monday (Oct. 24), Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) was scheduled to tell lawmakers about the progress of key weapons deals, CNA reported. According to the submitted document, the budget for 2023 featured 236 investment cases, including 34 confidential items, for a total value of NT$102.7 billion ($3.2 billion).

The majority of the cases were continued from earlier years, but the list also included 58 new items, including one secret case, with a total price tag of NT$4.4 billion. The report named 26 continued cases as involving deals with the U.S., but only one new item.

The military emphasized that deliveries from the U.S. would not be delayed, and that the 250 Stinger missiles it had ordered, were even likely to be delivered by the end of 2025, earlier than first expected.

In contrast, domestic projects were more likely to experience delays due to shifting supply chains, the difficulty of obtaining key materials on time, inflation, and labor shortages, CNA reported.