How ‘scary’ is the weapon Trump wants to sell to Taiwan? | international



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Bed sheet South China morning post October 14, citing the news agency Reuters and page Defense news He said that US President Donald Trump has submitted to Congress a series of proposals on the sale of modern weapons to Taiwan.

This is considered the latest move by Washington in the context of the conflict between Beijing and Washington that has reached its climax and the Trump administration has made repeated proposals to strengthen ties with the autonomous island.

On October 13, the White House presented to Congress a plan to sell the MQ-9 drone built by General Atomics and Boeing’s Harpoon anti-ship missile to the Radio Defense Force. North, news agency Reuters well-informed cited sources.

MQ-9

“History has shown that the MQ-9 is capable of continuously supporting and assisting air and ground forces” – page Military.com said Lt. Col. Michael Chmielewski, commander of the 556 Assessment and Inspection Squadron.

How 'scary' is the weapon Trump wants to sell to Taiwan?  - Photo 1
An MQ-9 aircraft. Photo: DOAN MY

The MQ-9 has a payload of more than 1,700 tons and carries a missile complex consisting of Hellfire, GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-38 JDAM.

“Doubling the firepower of the highly durable MQ-9 and combining it with the Hellfires missile improves the attack capability and versatility of the aircraft in many warfare roles” – he added.

Mr. Sgt. Melvin French, who operates the MQ-9 test system, said the aircraft was very versatile, as ammunition types can be interchanged inside and out to suit the mission.

Harpoon anti-ship missile

In May, Taiwan expressed its intention to purchase US anti-ship missile complexes to enhance the island’s combat capabilities, according to the news site. Taiwan News.

How 'scary' is the weapon Trump wants to sell to Taiwan?  - Photo 2
Harpoon missile launched from US warships during a drill in 2016. Photo: HAI QUAN MI

Mr. Chang Che-ping – The No. 2 official of Taiwan’s defense agency said the Harpoon missile complex on the ground with superior maneuverability will help the island avoid threats from the mainland.

Harpoon is the first specialized anti-ship missile of the United States Navy, it was launched for the first time in 1977. This missile has a maximum range of 280 km depending on the version and launch platform, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, Harpoon can reach speeds of 865 km / h and can fly close to the sea to get closer to the target.

Each Harpoon missile carries a detonator that weighs 220 kg, enough to threaten many types of warships today.

Using a vehicle-mounted land-based missile launcher such as the Oshkosh Extended Mobile Tactical Truck (a US-made heavy tactical truck) will give the weapon more flexibility. .

This is especially valuable when the routes in an operational plan are surrounded and controlled by an adversary.

Being able to quickly relocate launchers to other areas in the contingency strategy will make it easier for Taiwan to reorganize forces and resume combat. At the same time, this will also help prevent the island from falling into a passive position if attacked from all directions.

Additionally, in the Oct. 12 plan, the Trump administration also proposed selling the High Mobility Artillery Missile System and a Lockheed Martin Company truck-mounted missile launcher, the main attack missile. the body is made by Boeing and external sensors from Taiwan’s F-16 jets, according to the report South China morning post.

However, the US State Department has not confirmed this information.



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