TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Production capacity for US arms sales to Taiwan has been gradually recovering from supply chain disruptions, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said.
To improve efficiency, the US Congress is considering revisions to the Arms Export Control Act that would allow Taiwan to receive the same arms-sales treatment as NATO Plus member countries, helping speed up administrative procedures and shorten the time required for congressional notification, Koo said, per Military News Agency.
Koo said that if this year’s general budget is passed, several weapons systems would be delivered in batches, including M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Harpoon coastal defense systems, Altius-600M drones, MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones, Switchblade 300 loitering munitions, MS-110 reconnaissance pods, Volcano minelaying systems, and third-generation land-based systems.
He added that beyond direct arms purchases, the defense ministry plans to pursue joint Taiwan-US research and development and procurement of emerging technologies, while also expanding ammunition production lines and upgrading capacity at Taiwan’s military arsenals.
In addition to meeting wartime stockpile needs, the plan also aims to support Taiwan’s domestic defense industry and build a non-Chinese supply chain, Koo said. Taiwan would domestically produce 210,000 drones and more than 1,000 unmanned surface vessels, estimated to generate NT$400 billion (US$12.7 billion) in output value and 90,000 jobs.
This plan is included in the proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget, which remains blocked by opposition legislators.
