Three arms programs facing delays: MND

• By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

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Three of Taiwan’s 24 US arms procurement programs are facing delays: the purchase of MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes, AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapons and F-16V Block 70 jets, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report submitted to the Legislative Yuan.

Of the 24 ongoing procurement programs, 21 were progressing as scheduled, the report said.

The military planned to procure 24 MK-48 heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes for combat use and four for training, at a total cost of NT$5.46 billion (US$167.96 million).

An F-16V Block 70 jet takes off from an airbase in Taitung on Oct. 2.

Photo: Hotli Simanjuntak, EPA

All the torpedoes were scheduled to be delivered by this year, but supply chain disruptions and the need to restart production lines had led to repeated delays.

The latest schedule calls for all the torpedoes to be delivered by 2028, the ministry said.

Taiwan also procured AGM-154C missiles under the F-16A/B performance upgrade program, known as the Feng Chan project, but the US had to restart production lines, source materials and resolve system integration issues as Taiwan had opted for the latest version of the missiles, it said.

The delays have pushed the completion of missile deliveries to 2028, it added.

The upgrades to Taiwan’s F-16A/B jets were completed in 2023, the ministry said.

Lastly, the procurement 66 F-16V Block 70 jets, for which NT$247.23 billion was allocated between 2020 and this year, is also delayed.

All 66 aircraft were scheduled to be delivered this year, but the relocation and restart of the production line, along with supply chain disruptions, have put the deliveries at risk, the ministry said.

The first two aircraft arrived at the air force’s Chihhang Base in Taitung on Oct. 2, and the remaining jets are to be flown to Taiwan in batches after preparations are completed, it said.

Other procurement programs have made progress, with all M1A2T tanks, Switchblade 300 drones and airborne operations parachute equipment scheduled under to be delivered this year, the ministry said

Deliveries of third-generation land-based communications systems, Stinger man-portable air defense systems, Harpoon coastal defense systems, MS-110 reconnaissance pods and MQ-9B drones are also expected to continue this year, the ministry added.

The third-generation land-based communications system program runs from 2020 to 2029, with more than NT$8.7 billion allocated. The procurement covers 154 communications nodes, 24 relay systems and eight network management centers.

Equipment is being delivered in batches, and the program is expected to be completed in 2029, it said.

The Patriot II system upgrade and Patriot III procurement program runs from 2007 to next year, with more than NT$179.1 billion allocated, the ministry said.

The procurement includes upgrades to three Patriot II missile system units, six Patriot III missile system units and 102 extended-range Patriot III missiles, it said.