Press Release:
The US-Taiwan Business Council Comments on the Proposed Foreign Military Sales of Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600M-V to Taiwan

(Arlington, Virginia, June 5, 2024)

The US-Taiwan Business Council today welcomed the announcement of two possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan of Switchblade 300 Loitering Missile Systems and ALTIUS 600M-V Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at an estimated total cost of US$360.20 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certifications notifying Congress of the proposed Taiwan arms sales on June 18, 2024.

The published Congressional Notifications (transmittal numbers 24-47 and 24-56) are for 720 Switchblade 300 All Up Rounds (AURs) [includes 35 fly-to-buy AURs] and 101 SB300 fire control systems (FCS), along with first line spares packs, operator manuals, training, technical assistance, and other related elements of logistics, maintenance, and program support. Also included are 291 ALTIUS 600M-V systems – comprised of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) loitering munition with extensible warhead and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera, training UAVs, Pneumatic Integrated Launch Systems (PILS), PILS transport trailers, ground control systems, and associated spares, training, manuals, and other related elements of technical, engineering, logistics, and program support.

Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers commented, “This sale of AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 & Anduril’s Altius 600 adds substantially to Taiwan’s inventory of mobile smart munitions, which can be used during on-island fighting all the way through to attacking PLA assets off Taiwan’s coastline. As these munitions are deployed and local personnel is trained to handle them, we should expect Taiwan to grow their inventory of both munitions. It is important to field these capabilities while also ensuring that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has deep magazines to handle a potentially sustained conflict.”

Hammond-Chambers added, “Taiwan currently has domestic companies who are working with foreign partners to develop their own indigenous mobile smart munitions. In conjunction with FMS cases such as these, we should expect MND to also start procuring locally to meet their defensive requirements.”

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

Additional Data:

For more details on Taiwan arms sales, please visit our dedicated defense website at www.ustaiwandefense.com. The post “Taiwan Arms Sales Notified to Congress 1990-2024” contains charts showing a summary of arms sales data by year, along with a link to the raw data compiled by the Council from DSCA and other sources.

Taiwan Defense Conference 2024:

The 2024 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference will take place September 22-24, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Registration is now open: www.taiwandefenseconference.com.