TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is still making preparations to purchase the U.S.-made AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), Vice Defense Minister Alex Po (柏鴻輝) said on Thursday (March 17).

During a Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) asked Po what progress Taiwan had made in acquiring the JASSMs. The vice defense minister said that the ministry has made some progress but a deal has not yet been finalized.

Taiwan has been striving to purchase the missiles since the Trump administration, CNA reported.

The JASSM is a stealthy, long-range air-to-surface missile with a range of 370 km and a weight of 1021 kg. It is armed with a 454 kg armor-piercing warhead which can greatly enhance the long-range ground attack capability of Taiwan’s new fleet of F-16V fighters, per CNA.

Scholars have predicted that the next U.S. arms sale to Taiwan may be more focused on helping Taiwan boost its asymmetric warfare capabilities, such as precision munitions and equipment related to combat training, logistics, and battlefield management.