US authorizes possible sale of combat drones and missiles to Taiwan

The United States gave the green light to the possible sale of a combat drone system and loitering missiles to Taiwan for an estimated value of $360.2 millionwas officially reported on the island this Wednesday (06/19/2024).

In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN) noted that unmanned aerial vehicles “have become a new tactical option for real combat,” adding that the material will have “reconnaissance and immediate attack capabilities.” against enemy “threats.”

For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan celebrated the approval of this arms sale and valued the “commitment” of the United States to the “defense” of the island.

“We remain determined to defend peace through force in the midst of China’s escalating aggression,” said the island’s Foreign Ministry through its official X account.

In Washington, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) detailed that the Representative Office of Taiwan in the United States requested the purchase of 291 Altius 600M-V drones and 720 Switchblade 300 loitering missiles, as well as equipment related to these devices, for an amount of 300 and 60.2 million dollars, respectively.

The US government has already provided Altius 600 and Switchblade 300 to the Ukrainian Army to contain the Russian invasion of its territory.

“The proposed sale serves the national, economic and security interests of the United States by supporting the recipient’s continued efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability,” the DSCA noted in a statement.

This new sale of US military equipment to Taiwan comes just two weeks after Washington approved Taipei’s possible acquisition of spare parts, components, supplies and accessories for the F-16 fighter for another $300 million.

The Chinese nationalist army withdrew in Taiwan after the defeat at the hands of communist troops in the civil war (1927-1949). It has been governed autonomously since the end of the war, although China claims sovereignty over the island, which it considers a rebel province for whose “reunification” it has not ruled out the use of force.

The Taiwanese issue is one of the main points of friction between Beijing and Washington, since the US is Taipei’s main arms supplier and could defend the island in the event of conflict.

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