A raft of US government arms sales approvals for Taiwan includes loitering munitions and repairs for attack helicopters.
The eight approvals for possible defence sales to Taiwan come to a total of $11.1 billion and were posted by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The potential orders are largely focused on ground-based systems, namely a $4 billion sale of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), in addition to a $4 billion purchase of M109A7 self-propelled howitzers.
Two of the potential sales relate directly to aviation capabilities.
The third biggest approval after the HIMARS and howitzer deals covers a possible $1.1 billion sale of Altius-700M and -600 loitering munitions produced by Anduril. The DSCA does not provide the number of weapons, but states that the deal includes the munitions as well as a range of support equipment and services.
Taipei received a separate batch of Altius-600Ms in August, shortly after Anduril established its first corporate office in Taiwan.
The other potential aviation element of the latest arms deal covers $96 million in spare parts for Taiwan’s Bell AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters. FlightGlobal’s 2026 World Air Forces directory shows that Taiwan’s army operates 62 AH-1Ws.
The latest approvals come less than one month after the USA approved the possible sale of $330 million in spare parts for fixed-wing combat and support aircraft operated by Taiwan’s air force.
“This bundle of notifications – a record amount notified at one time in US security assistance for Taiwan – is a response to the threat from China and speaks to the demand from [US President Donald Trump] that partners and allies do more to secure their own defence,” says Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council.
“We continue to see the prioritisation of platforms and munitions that address a D-Day-style attack on the island. None of these programmes address grey zone, blockade, or quarantine domains or the threat posed by China in those areas.”
Hammond-Chambers adds that more Taiwan defence sales could emerge in the coming months.
