The U.S. government has approved a potential sale of new NASAMS air defense systems to Taiwan’s Armed Forces, as recently announced by the State Department, notifying Congress of this potential military transaction.
Currently, Taiwan’s Armed Forces use various missile-based air defense systems, including domestically developed models (Sky Bow II and III) and American-provided systems. The most prominent of these is the Patriot PAC-3 missile batteries used by Taiwan’s Air Force, while the older MIM-23 HAWK missiles were recently decommissioned and replaced with locally developed systems.
In light of the regional context—where China’s People’s Liberation Army has increased its activities near Taiwan, conducting frequent exercises that simulate an island blockade—Taiwan has requested additional NASAMS air defense systems from the U.S. These negotiations are not new and are part of broader efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on October 25, Taiwan’s government has requested the purchase of up to three NASAMS systems, complete with necessary components.
The NASAMS system, co-developed by Raytheon and Kongsberg, offers a comprehensive air defense solution that integrates short- and medium-range missiles, namely the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM, fired from ground-based launchers. These systems are linked to the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar and a fire distribution center. As NASAMS has gained widespread adoption, it has been updated to support advanced missile versions and new radar options, like the GhostEye MR sensor.
The Department of State’s authorized package includes the launch systems, AN/MPQ-64F1 radars, and a batch of 123 AMRAAM-ER surface-to-air missiles, along with guidance units, containers, spare parts, and documentation. With Raytheon as the main contractor, the transaction’s value is $1.16 billion.
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