On Monday, United States announced it had approved a $2.4 billion sale of 100 Harpoon coastal defense systems to Taiwan.
The State Department said: “The proposed sale of the Harpoon systems will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance… and progress in the region.”
The deal involves 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS), which includes 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles with a maximum range of 75 miles (125 kilometers).
Last Wednesday, the US said it had approved the $1 billion sale of 135 precision guided, air-launched AGM-84H SLAM-ER cruise missiles which unlike the Harpoon have a range greater than the width of the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China.
