TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Wednesday (Jan. 11) announced the purchase of 100 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 60 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and a large quantity of unnamed long-range weapons systems for the F-16V from the U.S.
The MND purchased "F-16 aircraft long-range precision weapons" for NT$34.46 billion, "F-16 aircraft anti-ship weapons" for NT$8.26 billion and "F-16 air-to-air weapons" worth NT$2.39 billion for a total of NT$45 billion (US$1.48 billion), reported Liberty Times.
The "air-to-air weapons" refer to 100 AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles and four AIM-9X tactical guidance units. The "anti-ship weapons" include 60 AGM-84-L1 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, four training missiles, and other related equipment.
As for the "long-range precision weapons," the MND has not clearly stated what weapons systems these include. It is rumored within the military that this may involve the purchase of AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, as well as the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon and AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, an advanced stand-off precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile.
In its "Five-year military strength construction and administrative plan," the MND has previously mentioned that the military's "long-range strike" weapon project includes the acquisition of AGM-84H SLAM-ER cruise missiles, AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, and AGM-154C glide bombs.
The Air Force has compiled a total budget of NT$47.08 billion for long-range precision weapons, deducting the NT$34 billion announced for such weapons on Wednesday. This leaves NT$12.6 billion for additional long-range weapon purchases.
The military believes that it should wait for the U.S. to agree to sell another long-range precision strike weapon to Taiwan, namely, the AGM-158 JASSM low observable standoff air-launched cruise missile with a range of 370 kilometers, and the extended-range AGM-158 JASSM, which has a range of up to 1,000 km.
It is estimated that these systems will be fully delivered to Taiwan before the end of 2030 and deployed at Taitung Air Force Base. This is the sixth arms sale to Taiwan since President Joe Biden took office.
