The announcement comes as Taiwan faces increasing military pressure from China.
The Pentagon on Dec. 31 announced that Lockheed Martin had been awarded a contract to sell military equipment to Taiwan, as the island remains on high alert amid repeated military drills by Beijing.
In a news release, the Pentagon said it was issuing the $328.5 million ceiling contract to “meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan Air Force.”
“This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of fifty-five Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor pods, processors, pod containers, and processor containers,” the Pentagon stated.
Foreign military sales worth $157.3 million are obligated at the time of the award. The work, which will be conducted in Orlando, Florida, is expected to be completed by June 30, 2031, the Pentagon stated.
The United States transitioned from officially recognizing Taiwan to maintaining formal diplomatic ties with China after adopting the U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique in 1979, essentially recognizing the People’s Republic of China—the Chinese communist regime—as the “sole legal government of China,” according to the State Department.
Even though the United States has upheld unofficial ties with Taiwan since 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act of that same year requires the Pentagon to supply Taiwan with “defensive capability” as a means of allowing the island to defend itself.
On Dec. 17, the Trump administration approved a record $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, following a previous $330 million arms sale in November of spare and repair parts for Taiwan’s air force.
Escalating Threat
These weapons sales come as Taiwan has faced increasing military pressure from China, which considers the island part of its territory.
The Chinese regime’s military fired 27 rockets into waters north and south of Taiwan on Dec. 30, the second day of new military drills that Taiwan’s defense ministry said are intended to erode its people’s confidence in the military’s ability to defend the island.
In the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on the course of Beijing’s military buildup, published on Dec. 30, the U.S. military said China is planning to take control of Taiwan through military action as early as 2027.
“In other words, China expects to be able to fight and win a war on Taiwan by the end of 2027,” the Pentagon wrote in its report.
The Pentagon said China’s military would pursue that goal through “an amphibious invasion, firepower strike, and possibly a maritime blockade.”
The report noted that China’s announced defense budget “has nearly doubled” from 2013, Xi Jinping’s first full year as leader of the Chinese Communist Party, to 2024.
Frank Fang and Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.
By Jacob Burg
