TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday released a public report detailing the weapons it plans to procure under the proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) presented a more detailed, classified version of the report during a closed-door session at the Legislative Yuan on Monday. The procurement plan is divided into seven categories.
The first category covers precision artillery, with a budget of NT$810 billion. It includes the acquisition of 60 M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, according to CNA.
The second category focuses on long-range precision strike missiles, with an estimated budget of NT$160 billion, including 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems.
The third category involves unmanned systems and countermeasures, with a budget of about NT$335 billion. Plans include commissioning the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to produce 32 Albatross II UAVs, and the Armaments Bureau to procure 1,446 coastal surveillance drones and 208,200 coastal attack drones. The bureau will also acquire 1,320 suicide unmanned surface vessels, CNA reported.
Additional items in this category include 280 vertical takeoff and landing smart drones, 635 portable counter-drone systems, 478 ALTIUS-600ISR systems, and 1,554 ALTIUS-700M systems. The report also references a combined soft-kill and hard-kill counter-drone system, though details remain classified.
The fourth category covers air defense, anti-ballistic missile, and anti-armor systems, with a budget of about NT$550 billion. This includes the production of Sky Bow missiles and the procurement of two additional missile systems and 128 missiles. It also includes 70 Javelin launchers with 1,050 missiles, as well as 24 TOW 2B launchers and 1,545 missiles, CNA said.
The fifth category focuses on AI-assisted command-and-control and intelligence systems, with a budget of around NT$10 billion. It includes an AI-assisted decision-making system, Taiwan Tactical Network, Tactical Assault Kits, and related smart devices.
The sixth category aims to enhance sustained combat capabilities, with a budget of about NT$50 billion. This includes the procurement of general munitions, such as 120mm and 105mm tank rounds and 30mm cannon ammunition, from overseas suppliers, as well as 356 sets of mobile obstacle systems, according to CNA.
The seventh category covers equipment and systems jointly developed and procured by Taiwan and the US, with a budget of approximately NT$64 billion. All related details under this category are classified.
The defense ministry said all items under the “Special Act on Procurement for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Capabilities” have secured supplier commitments and export approvals. “Investing in defense is investing in peace,” the ministry said, adding that the budget is necessary to strengthen response capabilities and maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait, CNA reported.
