Weapons systems in budget unveiledCLASSIFIED BRIEFING: The ministry said the special budget focuses on building a comprehensive defense system and strengthening the domestic defense industryBy William Hetherington / Staff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of National Defense yesterday released information on seven categories of weapons systems to be procured under a stalled NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.57 billion) special defense budget, including precision artillery, long-range missiles, air defense anti-tank missiles and more than 200,000 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The second category is long-range precision strike missiles, including 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 1,203 pods of precision rockets and 420 tactical missiles. The fourth category comprises air-defense, ballistic missile defense and anti-armor missiles, including 70 Javelin anti-armor missile systems with 1,050 missiles, 24 TOW-2B anti-armor missile systems with 1,545 missiles, and various air-defense missile systems and munitions. The fifth category covers AI-assisted capabilities, including AI-based decision-support systems, tactical networks and rapid intelligence-sharing application packages for military units. The seventh category involves equipment and systems jointly developed and procured by Taiwan and the US.
