Rs 62062148400 missiles: This Asian country purchases air defence missile system from US, not Afghanistan or Pakistan but…
The United States has recently announced the sale of an advanced air defence missile system to Taiwan worth almost USD700 million.
New Delhi: In a major development, the United States has recently confirmed that it has sold an advanced air defence missile system to Taiwan, worth almost USD700 million. This defence system has been battle-tested in Ukraine. It was the second weapons package for Taipei in a week. In the Indo-Pacific region, Australia and Indonesia are currently the only countries operating the specific system and the US earlier announced that Taiwan would receive three such systems as part of a major USD2-billion arms deal in 2024.
What is NASAMS?
The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) is a medium-range air defence solutions which is developed by RTX. According to the Pentagon, the authorities have awarded a fixed-price contract to the company for the procurement of NASAMS units. The deadline to complete the project is February 2031.
“Fiscal 2026 foreign military sales (Taiwan) funds in the amount of $698,948,760 were obligated,” it said on Monday.
NASAMS Is Tried And Tested?
The missile defence system was used in Ukraine to detect and destroy the Russian air attacks. The NASAMS system is give a massive boost to Taiwan’s air defence capabilities.
It is worth noting that Washington showed a green light to the sale of fighter aircrafts and other aircraft parts to Taiwan under the USD330 million deal. It is the first such deal with Taiwan after US President Doland Trump took office in January.
However, the deal has angered China.
Notably, the defence equipment sales come amid deteriorating diplomatic ties between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its territory whereas the island’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
On Sunday, Chinese coast guard ships were detected around a group of East China Sea islands which is controlled by Japan. The region is claimed by China.
Japan’s fighter jet scrambled on Saturday after the detection of China’s a drone between Taiwan and Japan’s Yonaguni.
Yesterday, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo reacted on the increasing tensions and said that Beijing should not resort to force to resolve disputes.
“China should abandon its thinking of using force to resolve things,” he told reporters.
Taiwan Strengthening Its Military Power
It is to be noted that Taipei is increasing its armaments in order to tackle any major attack from China. It is also building its own submarines to defend its maritime supply lines.
China’s military daily patrols around Taiwan in what Taipei views as a “grey zone” strategy to test Taiwan’s forces.
The United States has promised Taiwan to provide it means to defend itself from China.
What's Your Reaction?
