US State Department approves sale to Taiwan of 40 M109A6 Paladin SPHs

The US Department of State has approved a potential USD750 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Taiwan of 40 155 mm M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and 20 M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles (FAASVs) along with related equipment and services.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a 4 August notification that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) – Taiwan's principal representative office in the United States – had requested the SPHs and FAASVs as well as Raytheon's Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), which is used by the US Army and Marines to co-ordinate, plan, and execute artillery fires.

The request also included five M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) and 1,698 multi-option Precision Guidance Kits, which are compatible with the M795 and M549A1155 mm high-explosive projectiles and can provide a circular error probable of 20 m.

Also part of the proposed deal, which still needs US Congress approval, are M109A6/M992A2 overhaul, conversion, and refurbishment services; special tools and test equipment; technical, logistical, and programme support, as well as personnel training and training equipment.

In addition to the AFATDS, the potential sale includes a range of mission systems such as the BAE Systems Defense Advanced Global Positioning System Receiver (DAGR); AN/VVS(2) Night Driver's Viewer (NDV) devices; and L3Harris Dynamic Reference Unit Hybrid-Replacement Inertial Navigation Systems, which provide more accurate positioning data for the vehicle compared with earlier systems. The same system is also used on the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), according to L3 Harris.