The Pentagon said in a Friday statement that the Biden administration approved the sale of a $2 billion defensive missile platform to Taiwan.
This latest munition package set to be delivered to the Taiwanese armed forces includes three medium-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, featuring the AMRAAM Extended Range projectiles and associated radar equipment.
The NASAMS is capable of intercepting aircraft, cruise missiles, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles, having undergone extensive battlefield testing in Ukraine.
A U.S. defense official told Reuters after the announcement that the weapon is a new addition to Taipei’s arsenal, with only Australia and Indonesia having deployed it in the region.
The decision was predictably criticized by the communist regime in Beijing, which views the island nation as a breakaway province and has previously threatened to militarily overthrow its democratically elected government.
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