Taiwan is seeking to acquire long-range, air-launched cruise missiles from the United States, a defense official said Monday, as the Chinese-claimed island bolsters its forces in the face of increasing pressure from Beijing.
While Taiwan is developing its own long-range missiles, to give it an ability to strike back deep into China in the event of war, it has also looked to the United States to help provide it more advanced weaponry.
Asked in parliament which weapons systems Taiwan wants to buy but the United States has not yet said it can, Lee Shih-chiang, head of Taiwan's Defense Ministry's strategic planning department, named Lockheed Martin Corp.'s AGM-158.