If Successful, Taiwan's Chinese Surveillance Capabilities Dramatically Enhanced
Potential for Escalation in US-China Conflict
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Reports have emerged that the U.S. government is negotiating the sale of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to Taiwan. Since the U.S. has never sold drones to Taiwan before, a successful deal could become an additional point of conflict in U.S.-China relations.
On the 6th (local time), a major foreign news outlet cited sources reporting that the U.S. is pushing to sell at least four maritime MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones to Taiwan. The foreign media estimated the deal to be worth at least $600 million.
Taiwan had already requested the sale of attack drones from the U.S. earlier this year, and it is understood that the U.S. side has conveyed conditions such as possible sale prices to Taiwan.
The SeaGuardian can monitor a radius of 11,000 km, making it a 'game changer' that could dramatically enhance Taiwan's maritime unmanned surveillance capabilities. Currently, the surveillance range of drones owned by Taiwan is only about 250 km.
The sale of the SeaGuardian is reported to have already received approval from the State Department. Accordingly, a request for sale approval is expected to be submitted to the U.S. Congress by next month. After congressional approval, the sale can be officially made.
This is the first drone sale initiative following U.S. President Donald Trump's recent emphasis on the need to modernize the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) specifically in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) sector and his declaration to expand drone sales overseas, according to foreign media.
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