Taiwan plans to receive 29 sets of highly mobile M142 artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) from the United States in the next two years, the first batch of which is due to arrive to the island by the end of this year.
According to Ukrinform, the Taipei Times writes about this.
The publication notes that the international demand for HIMARS increased sharply after these systems helped Ukraine with precision to hit targets at long distances in the war with Russia and played a significant role in stopping the advance of the occupying forces at a critical period of the war.
Taiwan and the United States have two agreements about the island's purchase of a total of 29 such systems. The first agreement was concluded in 2020 and related to the sale of 11 HIMARS systems to Taiwan, and in 2022 the United States government approved the supply of 18 more systems with several types of missiles to the island.
The first order is expected of the 11 complexes will be delivered between the end of this year and next December, and the rest will arrive by the end of 2026.
Taiwan, amid increasing military pressure from China, is trying to strengthen its defense forces with high-tech weapons systems to be able to stand up to China's outnumbered and outgunned military if Beijing tries to use force to take control of the democratically-governed island.