U.S. Okays $750M Sale of Howitzers to Taiwan

The U.S. State Department agreed to sell 40 units of 155mm M109A6 Paladin howitzers valued approximately $750 million to Taiwan on Wednesday.

Taipei's foreign ministry said it was the first major arms sale announced since President Joe Biden took office in January and would help the island "maintain a rock-solid self-defence and regional peace and stability."

"Faced with China's continuing military expansion and provocations, our government will boost national defence and security with an unwavering determination to defend people's lives and our free and democratic way of living," it added.

TECRO has requested to buy 40 155mm M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems; 20 M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles (FAASV); one  Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS); 5 M88A2 Hercules vehicles; 5 M2 Chrysler Mount .50 caliber machine guns; and 1,698 multi-option, Precision Guidance Kits (PGK), Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a release today.

Also included are M109A6/M992A2 overhaul, conversion and refurbishment services; Special Tools and Test Equipment (STTE); Defense Advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver; AN/VVS(2) Night Driver’s Viewer (NDV); Dynamic Reference Unit Hybrid Replacement Inertial Navigation System; Basic Issue Items (BII); Program Management Support; Verification Testing; System Technical Support; Transportation; Spare and repair parts; communication support equipment; communication equipment integration; tools and test equipment; personnel training and training equipment; repair and return program; camouflage nets; Components of End Items (COEI), Additional Authorized List (AAL), Technical Manuals; Quality Assurance Team (QAT); 155mm M232A1 Propelling Charges, M82 Percussion Primer Fuzes, support and test equipment, integration and test support, software delivery, publications and technical documentation. U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; storage; and other related elements of logistics and program support; OCONUS Deprocessing Service; Export Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); OCONUS Contractor provided Training, Field Service Representatives (FSR); M2A1 .50 Cal MG; MK93 MOD 2 Mount Machine Gun; M239 Smoke Grenade Launchers, U.S. Government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The total estimated program cost is $750 million.

This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8.

The prime contractor for the Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems will be BAE Systems, Anniston, AL, and Elgin, OK; M992A2 FAASV, Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), Bynum, AL; and M88A2 recovery vehicles, BAE, York, PA. The purchaser has requested offsets. At this time, agreements are undetermined and will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and contractor.