The Joe Biden administration approved this Tuesday a new arms sale worth $360 million to Taiwan to send hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and military support material to the island, according to the State Department in a statement that will surely provoke a reaction of condemnation from China. The announcement was not unexpected but it comes in a moment of high tension between Washington and Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has promised to seize it by force if necessary.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan welcomed the approval of this arms sale and valued the “commitment” of the United States to the “defense” of the island. “We remain determined to defend peace through force amid China’s escalating aggression”stated the island’s Foreign Ministry through its official X account.
The sale includes 291 Altius-600M systems, which are unmanned aerial vehicles or drones with warheads, and on the other hand includes 720 drones Switchblade 300, known as “extended range loitering munitions.” It is worth remembering that The US Government has already provided Altius 600 and Switchblade 300 to the Ukrainian Army to contain the Russian invasion.
What is the Switchblade drone like?
The Switchblade, which looks like a small fixed-wing drone, is a lightweight, inexpensive precision-guided missile that can be launched from a variety of platforms in two minutes, stay in the air for 20 minutes with a range of 30 kilometers. There are two variants of the weapon, the Switchblade 300 and the model 600. The 300 is designed to attack small targets. It can fit in a backpack, weighs just over 2kg and has a range of 16km. The 600 version of the weapon is designed to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles. It weighs just over 54kg and has a range of over 64km. Switchblades are equipped with cameras, navigation systems and guided explosives. The weapons can be programmed to automatically engage targets that are miles away or can loiter over a target until an operator activates them to attack.
This is the Altius-600M drone
The Altius-600M drone, from Anduril Industries, is designed to accommodate multiple seeker and warhead options while doubling loitering time. Its multi-platform operability allows it to be launched from land, sea and air at different altitudes, as well as its ability to operate in swarms. The 600M can fly a distance of up to 440 kilometers and has a range of about 4 hours. This range allows it great flexibility to carry out both surveillance and reconnaissance and attack missions.
Satisfaction in the US
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is legally obliged to provide the island with the means to defend itself and supplies Taipei with defensive weaponry. But the arms sales have provoked angry responses from Beijing. “The proposed sale serves the national, economic and security interests of the United States.” by supporting the recipient’s continued efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.
For his part, the president of Taiwan, William Lai (Lai Ching-te)insisted on the need to strengthen the island’s military capabilities to maintain peace with China, since war can only be avoided by “preparing” for it. “Although the Taiwanese people have always loved peace and been kind to others, peace must depend on strength and transparency, that is, avoiding war and achieve peace by preparing for war. Empty words are not true peace,” said the president in a press conference from the Presidential Palace in Taipei.
This sale of US military equipment to Taiwan, the 15th under the administration of US President Joe Biden, It comes just two weeks after Washington approved Taipei’s possible acquisition of parts of spare parts, components, supplies and accessories for the F-16 fighter for another 300 million dollars.
Taiwan – where the Chinese nationalist army withdrew after defeat at the hands of communist troops in the civil war (1927-1949) – has been governed autonomously since the end of the war, although China claims sovereignty over the island. which he considers a rebellious province for whose “reunification” he has not ruled out the use of force.
The Taiwanese issue is one of the main points of friction between Beijing and Washington, since the US is Taipei’s main arms supplier and could defend the island in the event of a conflict.
