Taiwan – Defense Security Monitor

Taiwan Cleared for $1.8 Billion Worth of FMS Purchases

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 - by Daniel Darling

Just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the Trump administration has cleared yet another billion-plus-dollar Foreign Military Sales package for Taiwan. The latest FMS package involves three sales …

Defense / Naval Systems

Taiwan Dispatching Teams to Europe, U.S. as Indigenous Submarine Program Readies Launch

September 10, 2019November 8, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to send teams of experts to Europe and the U.S. to consult with international defense industrial partners as the construction phase of the …

Defense / Military Aircraft

Proposed F-16V Sale to Taiwan Makes Headway

August 19, 2019November 22, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

A Taiwanese request to the U.S. for an $8 billion government-to-government sale of 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 jet fighters appears to have some momentum, as reports indicate the …

Asia / Geopolitics

U.S. State Department OK’s $2.2 Billion in Potential Military Hardware Sales to Taiwan

July 9, 2019November 8, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

The U.S. State Department notified Congress via the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on July 8 of a pair of potential Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan worth a combined …

Military Aircraft / Pacific Rim

Giving Up the Ghost: Taiwan Seeks F-16V Procurement as F-35 Dream Abandoned

November 30, 2018November 13, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

The Taiwanese military is ready to forsake its previous ambition to acquire the F-35 Lightning II stealth combat aircraft in favor of a government-to-government contract for 66 F-16V Block 70 …

Pacific Rim

Taiwan Takes Delivery of First Upgraded F-16V

October 22, 2018November 13, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

The Taiwanese Air Force took delivery on October 20 of the first of its upgraded F-16 jet fighters from state-owned aviation company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC). The revamped F-16 …

Naval Systems

Taiwanese Navy Submarine Upgrade Project Comes into View

May 23, 2018January 16, 2019 - by Daniel Darling

A long-planned upgrade for Taiwan’s two Dutch-built Hai Lung-class submarines will soon get underway after the project was given clearance by Netherlands-based RH Marine following a year-long evaluation into the …

Defense / Geopolitics / Pacific Rim

A Positive Half-Measure: Taiwan’s Proposed 2018 Defense Budget

August 24, 2017November 13, 2019 - by Forecast International

by Dan Darling, International Military Markets Analyst, Forecast International. Taiwan’s ruling cabinet announced on August 17 that it has approved a fiscal year 2018 budget proposal that favors the …

Taiwanese Navy Pushes the Throttle on Indigenous Shipbuilding with LHD Plan

March 14, 2017November 12, 2019 - by Forecast International

by Dan Darling, International Military Markets Analyst, Forecast International. The Taiwanese Navy has revealed its plans for a proposed helicopter-carrying, amphibious landing helicopter dock (LHD) warship that aligns with the …

Upgrade of Taiwan’s F-16s with APG-83 SABR Begins, while Raytheon’s RACR Looks Down for the Count

January 26, 2017November 12, 2019 - by Forecast International

by C. Zachary Hofer, Electronic Systems Analyst, Forecast International. Sources in Taiwan report that the first four of the Air Force’s F-16A/Bs that will undergo an upgrade arrived at a …