Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. [Yonhap]
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. [Yonhap]

Taiwan has signed a logistics support contract with the United States worth 166.2 billion won ($114 million) to maintain the operational readiness of American-made missiles and anti-submarine helicopters, as China continues to ramp up military pressure on the island. The move reflects Taiwan's effort to strengthen combat preparedness by securing maintenance and supply chains for its existing US-supplied arsenal while also expanding the acquisition of new weapons.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense recently concluded two logistics support contracts with the United States covering maintenance and parts supply for ship-based missiles and anti-submarine helicopters operated by the navy, according to Taiwan's Liberty Times and other outlets Thursday.

The combined value of the two contracts stands at 166.2 billion won. Of that, 1.49 billion New Taiwan dollars — about 65.2 billion won — will go toward parts supply for anti-submarine helicopters, while 2.31 billion New Taiwan dollars — about 101 billion won — will cover parts repair and maintenance for various ship-launched missiles.

The anti-submarine helicopter project runs from this month through December 2028, while the missile maintenance project extends through December 2029. The contracts were concluded through Taiwan's military representative office in the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan.

The growing demand for parts replacement and maintenance stems from the extended service life of US-made weapons in Taiwan's arsenal.

Taiwan's navy operates a range of American-made weapons, including the Standard Missile-1 (SM-1), Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), Harpoon missiles and anti-submarine rockets. Some components have already exceeded their service life and require replacement, while specialized parts must be sent to the United States for maintenance.

A Taiwanese military official said the armed forces must continue maintaining existing weapons to sustain combat readiness until next-generation ship-launched missiles are fully deployed.

The aging of anti-submarine helicopters has also emerged as a pressing concern. The S-70C(M), the navy's primary anti-submarine helicopter, has seen rising maintenance demands after years of operation. The older 500MD has reportedly faced difficulties in parts procurement as well.

Taiwan's military has classified the 500MD as equipment slated for retirement and has been persistently requesting newer anti-submarine helicopters from the United States, the Liberty Times reported.

Alongside maintaining its existing arsenal, Taiwan is also accelerating the acquisition of new US-made weapons. In April, the Taiwanese military announced it had signed letters of offer and acceptance with the United States for six weapons procurement projects, including long-range precision strike systems.

Those contracts alone totaled about 208.77 billion New Taiwan dollars, equivalent to roughly 9.14 trillion won. As Chinese military activity around Taiwan persists, the island is simultaneously pushing to acquire new US weapons and sustain the readiness of its existing forces.


sjy@heraldcorp.com