Taiwan Buys 400 Anti-Ship Harpoon Missiles

Taiwan will buy as many as 400 US land-launched Harpoon missiles in the face of the rising threat from China, Bloomberg News reported, citing a trade group's leader and people familiar with the issue, Shivani Tanna and Yimou Li reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: The Pentagon announced a $1.17 billion contract for 400 of the anti-ship missiles on April 7 without naming the buyer.

The Pentagon announced a $1.17 billion contract for 400 of the anti-ship missiles on April 7 without naming the buyer, saying production was expected to be completed by March 2029.

Bloomberg News claimed Taiwan was the buyer.

The Pentagon declined to comment directly on the deal, but said: "the United States makes available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."

In 2020, Taiwan said it planned to buy land-based Boeing-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles as part of its military modernization efforts.

When asked about the news report, Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told a regular media conference the ministry had previously disclosed information about the purchase, adding it was "confident" the deal would continue according to schedule.

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