Authors: Joe O’Connor, Shikhar Chaturvedi, Danielle Kremer, and Wyeth Lindberg
This week: special budget negotiations continued to stall without consensus, the ROCN awarded another maintenance contract to a French company; NCSIST leaked the range of its Strong Bow missile system, as well as upgrades to M60A3 main battle tanks; and former U.S. military officers observed an annual civil defense drill in Taiwan, alongside weekly awards and solicitations.
Special Budget Negotiations Continue to Stall
On Thursday, scheduled negotiations on the special defense budget in the Legislative Yuan stalled as Kuomintang legislators were not present, having asked DPP convener Chen Kuan-ting to postpone any hearings on the budget until chairwoman Cheng Li-wun returned from her trip to the PRC, which she did on Saturday. This led to condemnation by DPP officials, who accused the KMT of obstructing legislative business.
A DPP press conference on Tuesday confirmed that cross-party negotiations would be held today and convened by Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu. Per CNA and Military News Agency, those negotiations also resulted in no consensus, but legislators from all three LY caucuses attended. Reportedly, convener Chen Kuan-ting will organize a special report from the MND on procurement issues on Monday, April 20, and additional negotiations will continue thereafter.
ROCN Signs Second Deal for Continuing Naval Support
On Thursday, the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) awarded Defense Conseil International (DCI) as NT$1.98 billion (US$62.26 million) contract for repairable parts and servicing as they begin upgrading their fleet of six Kang Ding-class frigates. This contract comes two weeks after the Navy signed a NT$1.81 billion (US$56.73 million) deal with DCI for technical support of the frigates. DCI, which is France’s state-owned military export agency has received awards for these due to the frigates’ systems having French patents. Both contracts are to run for 5 years and 6 months, with an expected completion date of 2031.
NCSIST Leaks Range of Strong Bow Missile, M60 Tank Upgrades
The website of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and an industry presentation revealed new details about two Taiwanese defense programs. On April 10, Liberty Times reported that NCSIST had updated its website to include the M60A3 main battle tank upgrade program, describing a package that replaces legacy components with digital fire control, all-electric gun control, and high-resolution sights. The report also said the first upgraded vehicle is undergoing system tests and is scheduled for a live-fire operational evaluation on May 19. Separately, NCSIST’s official product page now publicly describes the M60A3 upgrade as intended to improve firing accuracy, shorten engagement time, and mitigate obsolescence issues, underscoring Taipei’s continued effort to extract more utility from legacy armor while it pursues broader force modernization.
A second Liberty Times report suggested the range of the new Strong Bow missile may have been inadvertently disclosed during an earnings presentation by Taiwanese microwave component firm Allis. According to the report, the company described Sky Bow IV/Strong Bow as having a 1,500-kilometer range, a speed of more than Mach 10, and a 70-kilometer intercept altitude, while also noting that NCSIST has publicly described the system as part of a layered missile defense architecture with an AESA radar and tactical center vehicle. Because the reported range figure came from an industry presentation rather than a formal Ministry of National Defense (or NCSIST specification sheet), it should be treated cautiously. Still, if accurate, the disclosure offers insight into the scale of Taiwan’s T-Dome defense ambitions and the indigenous programs tied to the proposed special budget.
U.S., Allied Former Officers Attend Annual Civil Defense Drill
From April 11–13th, the Fuhe Association held a joint civil defense training exercise in Nantou, Taiwan. This training was attended by multiple retired generals from Taiwan’s allies, including the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines. These retired generals closely observed the civilian training activities, while exchanging anecdotes and discussing the comparative systems of compulsory military service. Many of them found the enthusiasm from the Taiwanese people impressive, with retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Montgomery saying that more Taiwanese citizens should regularly participate in public service. He noted that Taiwan should strengthen its reserve forces to better integrate military and civilian resources, arguing that this would strengthen Taiwan’s ability to respond to both military threats and natural disasters. However, he added that this integration requires significant effort from both the government and its people.
Weekly Awards/Solicitations
On Thursday, several bid solicitations were made:
- The Armaments Bureau solicited separate bids for the purchase of engineering services for dry dock construction, as part of the Weihai project. The Wehai Project is the MND’s years-long project to renovate and upgrade Zuoying Naval Base. The solicitation is valued at NT$6.10 billion (US$192.02 million).
- The Naval Command made a repeat solicitation of bids for the procurement and installation of equipment and facilities for nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) warfare protection training. The solicitation is valued at NT$1.51 billion (US$47.63 million).
Also on Thursday, the Naval Command awarded Defense Conseil International a NT$1.98 billion (US$62.26 million) contract for repairable parts and their servicing. The contract is to be fulfilled throughout the southern region of Taiwan.
On Friday, the Army Command solicited bids for the purchase of broadband radios, worth NT$9.61 billion (US$302.85 million).
On Monday, the Information and Communications Command made a repeat solicitation of bids for the hardware and software required for virtual workspaces. The solicitation is worth NT$2.30 billion (US$72.96 million).
On Tuesday, the Naval Command’s military mission to the United States solicited bids for the purchase of sonobuoys, worth NT$389.63 million (US$12.33 million).
U.S. Contracts
Today, the U.S. Air Force awarded a US$234.76 million undefinitized contract action to Raytheon for production of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Extended Range (ER) missiles. This contract uses Taiwan FMS funds alongside 5 other countries in the total amount of US$61.57 million. Work is expected to be completed by April 2030.
The Air Force also awarded a US$13.72 million contract to Chromalloy Gas Turbine, LLC, for the re-manufacture of F-100-PW-220 engine stators and shrouds. This contract involves FMS sales to Taiwan alongside 14 other countries, and represents components for F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. Work is expected to be completed by April 2027.