Rockets, howitzers and suicide drones: US and Taiwan announce one of their biggest-ever arms deals

By Wayne Chang, Brad Lendon, Jennifer Hansler, CNN

Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — The United States and Taiwan have announced an $11.1 billion arms package that if completed would be one of Washington’s biggest-ever military sales to the island.

The deal includes eight separate purchases, which cover HIMARS rockets systems, anti-tank missiles, anti-armor missiles, loitering suicide drones, howitzers, military software and parts for other equipment, according to details released by both governments.

China’s Communist Party claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory, despite never having controlled it.

After the deal was announced Beijing said it “firmly opposes and strongly condemns” the move.

“The US’s attempt to use force to support Taiwan independence will only backfire, and its attempt to contain China by using Taiwan will absolutely not succeed,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Taiwan has been ramping up military purchases in recent years as it comes under increasing pressure from Beijing, with Chinese aircraft and ships present almost daily around Taiwan as well as regular large-scale exercises in and over the surrounding waters.

“The United States… continues to assist Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self‑defense capabilities and in rapidly building strong deterrence and leveraging asymmetric warfare advantages, which form the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability,” a statement from Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said.

Washington maintains close unofficial ties with Taiwan and is bound by law to sell arms to the island for its self-defense. The total sum of the US arms deal makes it the largest in years for the island.

“Since 2010, the Executive Branch has notified Congress of approximately $49 billion in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan,” a US official said.

The US announcement of the sales came through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which manages US foreign military sales. The deals still require congressional approval, but Taiwan enjoys general bipartisan support in the US Congress.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said that among the eight items, five – HIMARS, missiles and drones – are meant to be paid for as part of an historic $40 billion special defense budget President Lai Ching-te proposed in late November, which has yet to gain approval in Taiwan’s legislature.

That budget focuses on procuring precision artillery, long-range precision strike missiles, air defense, anti-ballistic and anti-armor missiles, drones and counter-drone systems, AI-powered systems, and weapons jointly developed by US and Taiwan.

It also looks to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities, particularly the “T-Dome” air defense system, which Lai announced in October without providing details.

Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy on the island, said recently he expected Taiwan’s legislature would eventually approve the increased military spending.

“Every budget issue has to go through the legislative process, but I remain very confident that at the end of the day, that all the parties in Taiwan will come together on behalf of increased defense spending, because I think there is a shared sense of the needs given the regional security environment, the threats Taiwan faces,” Greene said.

The $11.1 billion package is the second arms deal with Taiwan announced by the second Trump administration, following a $330 million deal in November for spare and repair parts for aircraft.

When that deal was announced, Taiwanese presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said the island would be increasing defense spending to more than 3% of GDP in the next year and to 5% of GDP by 2030.

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