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| US Approves Sale of 100 Sidewinder Missiles and 60 Harpoon Missiles to Taiwan |
Washington - The US State Department on Friday approved the sale of 100 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles and 60 AGM-84L-1 Block II Harpoon missiles to Taiwan. The sales were estimated at $85.6 million and $355 million, respectively, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced.
The two missiles will strengthen the Taiwan Air Force (RoCAF) weapon system, in particular to complement the country's F-16 Viper fighter jets. Taiwan previously had both types of missiles in its inventory. This can be seen from the photo released by the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan when the RoCAF carried out an exercise to intercept enemy aircraft some time ago.
The DSCA said the proposed sale of Sidewinder missiles would contribute to modernizing the receiver's capabilities to deal with current and future threats. Taiwan can use highly reliable and effective systems to increase the effectiveness of its air force as needed to counter or deter aggression by demonstrating precision against air targets.
This equipment will contribute to the recipient's goal of updating its military capabilities while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies. Taiwan will have no trouble absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.
The main contractor for the supply of the AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles is Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, AZ. Taiwan has requested an offset for this purchase. The agreement has not yet been determined and will be determined in negotiations between the recipient and the contractor, the DSCA wrote.
As for the Harpoon missile, the main contractor for the supply of this missile is the Boeing Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The agreement for the requested offset will also be determined in the negotiations between the recipient and the contractor.