Taiwan arms boost: US approves US$500 million in F-16 sensor systems for island’s defence

The US government has approved a half-billion-dollar sale of advanced sensor systems for F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan to boost the self-governing island’s ability to defend against “threats”, according to a State Department statement on Wednesday.

The deal includes F-16 infrared search-and-track systems and related equipment at an estimated cost of US$500 million, according to the statement. Congress was officially notified of the sale on Wednesday, it added.

Built by US aerospace company Lockheed Martin, the equipment would improve Taiwan’s defence of its airspace and deepen interoperability with the US through its F-16 programme, the statement said.

The US in 2019 approved a US$8 billion sale of 66 F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal taking the island’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets by 2026, the largest in Asia.

In March, the Biden administration approved the sale of an estimated US$619 million in arms to Taiwan, including hundreds of missiles for F-16 fighter jets.

The advanced sensor system functionality on offer can detect and track threats at long ranges and is unique in that it does not emit radiation, thus enhancing the lethality and survivability of aircrews.

Yet the deal would not alter the region’s basic military balance, according to the statement.

Reports earlier this year stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered the country’s military be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan, but at present he may be harbouring doubts about its ability to do so, according to US intelligence.

On Monday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said the island’s defence spending in 2024 would reach a record US$19 billion and that it would seek “more international support”.

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Taiwan aimed to complete its upgrade of 141 F-16A/B fighter jets by the end of this year, Tsai also said on Monday.

The action sent a clear signal of Beijing’s displeasure over the recent US travel itinerary taken by William Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for the island’s presidential election next year.

To Beijing, Taiwan is a breakaway province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. It opposes any official interaction between Taipei and Washington as well as American arms sales to the island.

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But under the Biden administration, such transactions have taken place more frequently and quickly.

The White House last month announced a US$345 million weapons package for Taiwan, marking the first time the US used presidential drawdown authority for an arms sale to the island and enabling Washington to send Taipei weapons from its own stockpiles.

The State Department statement on Wednesday said the deal arose from a request by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington – Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US.

It said the sale included aircraft and munitions support, training equipment, personnel training and related logistical and programme support.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In response to previous US weapons sales to Taiwan, Beijing urged Washington to stop selling arms to the island, saying they “could lead to tensions” and “pose risks to peace” in the Taiwan Strait.

Additional reporting by Mark Magnier in New York

South China Morning Post