Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Systems From US arrived in Taiwan

The first shipment of 100 land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile systems ordered from the United States has reportedly arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, marking a significant milestone in the island’s defense capabilities. The equipment was unloaded at Kaohsiung Port on September 27.

Background

This is part of a 71.02 billion new Taiwan dollar ($2.22 billion) deal in 2020 for the US to supply the island with up to 100 shore-mounted Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems and related equipment. 

Taiwan’s defense ministry also allotted an additional 15 billion new Taiwan dollars ($469 million) to construct related facilities, bringing the total package to $86.02 billion new Taiwan dollars ($2.69 billion).  

In 2023, it was reported that Taiwan and US officials had discussed focusing on expediting the arms shipment timeline, aiming to secure more than half of the Harpoon missiles within three years and the remainder by the end of 2029.

Harpoon Missiles

• Company : The Harpoon missile, developed by Boeing, is an over-the-horizon, all-weather anti-ship weapon that has proven to be a reliable solution for coastal defense.
• Mode : The Harpoon Coastal Defense System (HCDS) is a land-based variant of the Boeing Harpoon missile Block II, specifically designed to target a range of maritime and land-based threats, including enemy coastal defenses, surface-to-air missile sites, ports, and moored ships.
• Simulation System : According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the acquisition of the Harpoon missile systems was driven by a computer simulation study, which demonstrated the need for a substantial number of anti-ship missiles to neutralize 50 percent of an adversary’s naval targets.
• Range : The Harpoon missile system can strike stationary and moving targets from at least 124 kilometers (77 miles), which places much of the Taiwan Strait within its range.