The State Department approved a possible $280 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of a Field Communications System (FICS) and associated equipment for Taiwan.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the sale on Dec. 7.
The requested FICS consists of 154 Communications Nodes with S-788 Type III shelter; 24 Communication Relays with S-788 Type III shelter; eight Network Management Systems with S-788 Type III shelter; and other elements of program management support as well as technical and logistical support.
DSCA said the current prime contractor is unknown due to a pending competition for the selection. It noted Taiwan typically requests offsets, with any agreements defined n negotiations between the contractor and purchaser.
The agency said the FICS sale is “designed to provide mobile and security communications.”
“It will contribute to the recipient’s goal to modernize its military communication’s capability in support of their mission and operational needs,” the agency added.
DSCA also said the sale serves U.S. interests by supporting Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability.
As with other Taiwan FMSs, the sale is going through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), the Taiwan equivalent of an embassy.
This comes after a series of other sales finalized by the Trump administration.
First, last month, the State Department approved a $600 million sale of four weapons-ready General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned aerial systems (Defense Daily, Nov. 3).
In October, the department approved a potential $2.37 billion sale of 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems with 400 Harpoon Block II surface-launched missiles (Defense Daily, Oct. 26).
Back in July, the department also approved a $620 million Taiwan deal for recertification of PAC-3 missile to support another 30 years of operational life (Defense Daily, July 9). In May, the administration approved a potential $180 million sale of 18 MK-48 Advanced Technology Heavy Weight Torpedoes (Defense Daily, May 20).