The US State Department has approved the possible sale of 40 BAE Systems M109A6 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzers to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO).
The sale includes the 40 vehicles, 20 M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles (FAASV), five M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicles, and a package of ancillaries, spares, training, and services including ammunition, communications, and overhaul and refurbishment services.
TECRO is Taiwan’s unofficial diplomatic representation in the US, as Taiwan is not formally recognised by the US. The sale comes amid increasing cross-strait tensions in which China has been increasingly probing Taiwan’s air defences in recent years, and has been exercising its rapidly improving naval and amphibious capabilities.