The United States has approved a possible $500 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan, which will include infrared search and track (IRST) systems for F-16 fighter jets, the Pentagon announced this week.
The agency noted that the potential sale's value is approximately $500 million. It also indicated that it will not adversely impact U.S. defense readiness.
"This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," the Defense Department stated, pointing out that the proposed sale would further assist the island nation with "maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress."
"The recipient will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces," the agency added.
The principal contractor would be Lockheed Martin, a major U.S. defense contractor manufacturing F-16s. The international aerospace company headquartered in Maryland also supplies all five branches of the U.S. military with aircraft equipment.
Although the United States approved the sale, the notification does not indicate that a final deal has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
CCP Threats Against Taiwan
In response to the potential arms sales, Taiwan's defense ministry said the new equipment would be used for its latest F-16V aircraft, improving the island's ability to detect and track long-range targets and "greatly improve the effectiveness of air operations."Taiwan has been converting 141 F-16A/B jets into the F-16V type and has ordered 66 new F-16Vs, which have advanced avionics, weapons, and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its J-20 stealth fighters.
Meanwhile, the announcement also comes as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) repeatedly deployed military aircraft and drones into air space near Taiwan in recent months, representing a serious threat to the island, the ministry noted, thanking the United States for its military aid.
The move is likely to incense the CCP, which rules China as a single-party state and claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be united with the mainland.
Despite all the threats, the United States maintains legal ties with Taiwan, guaranteeing that it will supply the island nation with the weapons it needs for self-defense.
The United States has historically maintained a policy of so-called strategic ambiguity on the issue of defending Taiwan. Under the policy, U.S. leadership will typically neither confirm nor deny whether the nation would protect Taiwan militarily.