The United States has approved the sale of 40 self-propelled howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan. The Pentagon said the contract is worth approximately $ 750 million. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense in a statement said the sale would help the ground forces increase its “rapid response capacity and fire support”.
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 40 155mm M109A6 self-propelled artillery systems to Taiwan under a deal worth up to $ 750 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The State Department’s decision came after a series of arms sales to Taiwan last year, which included drones and coastal anti-missile defense systems to improve the island’s defensive capabilities and deter Chinese invasion.
Artillery system with 155 mm M109A6 self-propelled howitzer Reuters Archive
Taiwan about the deal: US support is “the basis for maintaining stability in the region”.
The package would include howitzers, 1,698 precision guidance kits for ammunition, spare parts, training, ground stations and improvements to the previous generation of howitzers, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon’s Defense Cooperation and Security Agency informed Congress on Wednesday about the possible sale of weapons.
Taiwan’s defense ministry expressed its “sincere gratitude” to the US government in a statement on Thursday, writing that the sale would help ground forces increase its “rapid response capacity and fire support”. The ministry called continued US military support “the basis for maintaining stability in the region.”
Main photo source: Reuters Archive