Detailed Taiwan Arms Sales & Contract Data Available

U.S.-Taiwan Business Council Announces New Database

#19

14 September 2022

Detailed Taiwan Arms Sales & Contract Data Available

U.S.-Taiwan Business Council Announces New Database

By Wendell Minnick (Whiskey Mike) 顏文德

Taipei - Below is a significant resource on Taiwan arms sales history, statistics, and future announcements. Though the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) is a “business council”, it is largely a military equipment sales influencer. It has become a well-known champion of Taiwan’s defense and democracy. It also provides U.S. defense industry suppliers with advice on how to navigate the complicated maze of Taiwan’s defense items procurement system.

In response to the massive 2001 arms deal under Bush, in 2002 the first annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference (美台國防工業會議) was begun. The brainchild of the conference was a Scottish expat living in Washington, D.C. When Rupert Hammond-Chambers was elected president of the USTBC in 2000, it was time to take his background in national security to use.

There should be no illusions about the USTBC. The Suite 1703 office is immediately next door to Suite 1700 of the Director of Political/Military Affairs, Defense Procurement Division, American Institute in Taiwan (Washington). You could cut a door between the two with a chainsaw.

Here is where you, the reader, must read between the lines.  If you do not believe in karma, there is a good bet you are right.

Though USTBC has made significant wins for Taiwan’s military modernization efforts, arms deals do run into problems with corruption amongst Taiwan’s elite political class on both sides of the political divide (KMT vs. DPP). Much of this corruption can be traced to local agents who serve the interests of both U.S. defense companies and Taiwan’s elites; consult List of Foreign Companies and Identities of Taiwan Local Agents.

Below is the USTBC Press Release for 14 September 2022:

Detailed Taiwan Arms Sales & Contract Data Available

The US-Taiwan Business Council maintains records of Taiwan arms sales notified to Congress. We have made historical charts and their underlying data publicly available. The Council also tracks U.S. Department of Defense contract announcements mentioning Taiwan. This data is available on our Taiwan Defense & National Security website.

Arms Sales Data

FMS arms sales data from 1990 to September 2, 2022 is available.

To download a spreadsheet listing every notification since July 1990, along with their reference numbers and their associated sale amounts: Data 2022.

Taiwan Contract Announcements

We are also tracking U.S. Department of Defense contract announcements mentioning Taiwan.

We will continue to keep this data updated for any new arms sales and contracts in the future. We hope that this information will be useful to you. Please also see the Council’s Media Center for our comments regarding specific arms sales, both for past sales and in the future: Media Center.

Sincerely yours,

Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers

President, US-Taiwan Business Council

1700 North Moore Street, Suite 1703

Arlington, Virginia 22209

END

ABOVE: Boeing AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopter beat the Bell AH-1Z Viper (Cobra) Attack Helicopter in a 2008 deal to supply Taiwan 30 platforms. It was one of the most controversial arms sales in Taiwan as Boeing shuttered its Taipei defense sales office in 2006, moving it to Singapore, in an effort to placate Beijing. Boeing has significant investments and business deals in China’s commercial aviation industry. In 1993, Taiwan procured 62 Bell AH-1W Super Cobras and Bell might have been a cheaper option for Taiwan. The Zulu configuration could be outfitted to Taiwan’s Whiskey variant, saving on commonality of parts, maintenance and training. The above patch is in celebration to Full Operational Capability (FOC) on 11 July 2018 for the 601st Aviation Brigade. Author collection.

ABOVE: F-35 Lightning II for the ROCAF (Taiwan Air Force) patch. Efforts to lobby the U.S. to release the F-35 stealth fighter to Taiwan has been in the works since 2002, but might be a bridge too far under China’s current military moderation efforts and encirclement of the island by air and sea power. Author collection.

ABOVE: Patch for the Patriot Air Defense Missile System. Taiwan originally procured the PAC-2 Plus, then the PAC-3. Author collection.