After delaying deliveries of the US-made 155mm M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on May 2 that Taiwan will now seek “alternatives” to meet its needs for a new long-range artillery system (SPH).
MND said in a statement that its procurement plans for the M109A6 SPH were affected by “congested” production lines, noting that it would have to evaluate “other precise and long-range” systems. It plans to submit a new budget proposal to parliament after selecting a suitable replacement.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) quoted MND as saying that due to production bottlenecks, the U.S. government said the M109A6 SPH would not be delivered until 2026, adding that other weapons, such as Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Rocket Launcher System (HIMARS), were supplied. as a substitute.
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in August 2021 that the U.S. State Department has approved the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECRO) request for 40 M109A6 SPHs and related support equipment, including five M88A2 Hercules Armored Rescue Vehicles (ARVs) ) and 1,698 Precision Guidance Kits – under a $750 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Deliveries of the initial eight systems were initially expected to begin in 2023.
The M109A6 SPH is a modernized version of the M109A2 platform currently used by the Republic of China Army (RoCA). It can use the latest generation of ordnance with its expanded ammunition loadout and increase the survivability of the vehicle and crew. It also reduces crew requirements of four instead of six.
The FMS approval was the first to be granted to Taiwan, which, under U.S. President Joe Biden, is increasingly under threat of invasion by a hardline China — which sees Taiwan as a separate province that must be reunited with the mainland .
In the past year, Taiwan has received earlier high-profile FMS approvals, including the potential weaponization of the GA-ASI MQ-9B SeaGuardian medium-altitude long-endurance drone, the Boeing Harpoon coastal defense system and the RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II. Potential sale of surface-launched anti-ship missiles and Lockheed Martin’s M142 HIMARS launcher.
by Jr Ng
