US to sell 100 advanced Patriot missiles to Taiwan

WORLD, Dec. 06 (YPA) – The US has proposed selling Taiwan as many as 100 of its most advanced Patriot air-defense missiles along with radar and support equipment in a deal valued at $882 million, according to Bloomberg News.

The proposal was made under the provisions of a 2010 sale to the island and so technically is not new. It is classified as an enhancement to the earlier deal, with a potential total value of $2.81 billion.

The upgrade won’t change the overall value of that deal, which infuriated Beijing at the time and led it to halt planned military exchanges with the US.

The new proposal calls for the sale of up to 100 Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Pac-3 Missile Segment Enhancement that are more advanced than previous Patriot missiles sent to Taiwan.

The proposal also includes modification kits for the M903 launcher, training equipment and software upgrades to accommodate new missiles.

The State Department said in its notification that the proposed deal would strengthen Taiwan’s Patriot missile system “to improve its missile defense capability, defend its territorial integrity, and deter threats to regional stability.”

The move comes amid concerns by the administration of US President Joe Biden that Beijing is becoming “more aggressive” towards the island, which it claims as part of its territory. The United States believes that China wants to have the ability to invade Taiwan by 2027.

E.M