“The US State Department has approved the sale of about $385 million worth of spare parts for F-16 aircraft and radars to Taiwan.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale consists of $320 million worth of spare parts and maintenance for F-16 fighter jets, as well as active electronically scanned array radars and related equipment.
The Pentagon noted that, in addition, the State Department approved the potential sale to Taiwan of advanced mobile communications subscriber equipment and technical support worth about $65 million. General Dynamics is the main sales contractor.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it expected the sale to go through within a month and that the equipment would help maintain the combat readiness of the F-16 fleet and “create a credible defense force.”
Read also: Taiwan does not rule out sending decommissioned Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine Last month, the United States announced a potential $2 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, including for the first time the delivery to the island of an advanced air defense system that has been combat-tested in Ukraine.
The United States is required by law to provide protections to Taiwan, which is claimed by China, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, a constant source of anger from Beijing.
As reported by Ukrinform, Taiwan is considering the purchase of a large package of American weapons, including the Aegis destroyer, to show the new administration of Donald Trump that it is serious about strengthening its own defense against China.