The United States Government last Thursday announced that it has approved a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the Taiwanese Government, specifically, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, for the purchase of spare and repair parts for RoCAF’s combat and transport aircraft, with a total estimated value of 330 million dollars.
The package, notified by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), will now be reviewed by Congress for near-certain final authorization.
This is a significant announcement, as it is the first American support to the island nation since Donald Trump was re-elected President of the United States.
Understandably, the announcement has been fiercely criticized by Beijing who accuses the United States of interference, as it considers Taiwan a rebel province, a territorial maritime extension that needs to be brought back “into line” even in extreme cases with force.
The sale proposal concerns support for the Lockheed Martin F-16 and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) AIDC F-CK-1C and F-CK-1D combat lines, as well as the Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules transport aircraft.
For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense expressed its appreciation to the United States for the measure aimed at helping to maintain adequate self-defense capabilities that sustain combat readiness and strengthen air defense.
The package sanctioned by the Trump administration will help the RoCAF increase its ability to respond to the ever-increasing pressure from Chinese military forces, with continuous overflights and naval activities in the waters and skies surrounding Taiwan, improving operational rates of its combat and transport aircraft.
Source Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
Photo credit @Ministry of National Defense, Republic of China
