The US-Taiwan Business Council Welcomes the Sale to Taiwan of Mobile Coastal Defense Systems with RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Missiles

(Arlington, Virginia, October 26, 2020)

The US-Taiwan Business Council today welcomed the announcement of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Taiwan of up to 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS) with up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles and related equipment and support. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this proposed arms sale on October 26, 2020.

The published Congressional Notification (transmittal number 20-68) is for a total expected program cost of US$2.37 billion. The proposed sale consists of up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles and 4 RTM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Exercise Missiles. Also included are 411 containers, 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense System Launcher Transporter Units, 25 radar trucks, spare and repair parts, and other elements of personnel, documentation, engineering, technical, and logistics support.

In response to this notification, the fourth involving Taiwan over the last week, US-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers said, “it is important to look at the totality of Taiwan’s capacity-building efforts to fully grasp the effort to improve Taiwan’s defensive capabilities.”

Hammond-Chambers added “These mobile land-based coastal defense batteries, with proven and reliable Harpoon missiles, add to Taiwan’s existing anti-ship defenses and provide significant additional deterrent capabilities. The substantial expansion of Taiwan’s Coastal Defense Cruise Missile stocks, which also include the domestically designed and built Hsiung Feng II/III, is a welcome development.”

Source: See the DSCA website at https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales