U.S. Approves Second Massive Sale of Defensive Weapons to Taiwan

The State Department has approved another multibillion-dollar sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan, bringing the total to more than $4 billion this month.

The latest approval is for 100 Harpoon mobile missile launchers and 400 Harpoon missiles, which will significantly bolster Taiwan’s ability to target Chinese ships in the Taiwan Strait, the 100-mile-wide strip of water separating the island from the mainland.

“Harpoon Block II is an over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It is the world’s superior anti-ship missile capable of performing land-strike and anti-ship missions,” according to NavalTechnology.com.

“These mobile land-based coastal defense batteries … add to Taiwan’s existing anti-ship defenses and provide significant additional deterrent capabilities,” said the US-Taiwan Business Council. “The substantial expansion of Taiwan’s Coastal Defense Cruise Missile stocks, which also include the domestically designed and built Hsiung Feng II/III, is a welcome development,” said the group’s president in a statement.

The potential sale is valued at $2.37 billion and comes a week after the approval of a $1.8 billion package of missiles, artillery rockets, and reconnaissance systems. (Read more from “U.S. Approves Second Massive Sale of Defensive Weapons to Taiwan” HERE)

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