The U.S. government has awarded Raytheon a $698,948,760 firm-fixed-price contract to manufacture NASAMS air defense fire units intended for Taiwan. Announced by the U.S. Department of War, the contract was placed through the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal and represents a crucial element of Taiwan’s ongoing Foreign Military Sales program. The procurement comes as China intensifies military activities around the island, raising concerns about the vulnerability of Taiwan’s infrastructure to cruise missile strikes, drone incursions, and other airborne threats. The decision highlights Washington’s strategic goal of reinforcing Taiwan’s defensive posture.
The NASAMS system is a combat-proven, short- to medium-range air defense solution jointly developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Raytheon. It employs the AIM-120 AMRAAM as its primary interceptor, enabling interoperability with NATO and other Western air forces that operate the same missile on fighter platforms. This ensures streamlined logistics, simplified resupply, and the ability to maintain shared munitions inventories. NASAMS is designed for flexible operations, capable of intercepting aircraft, UAVs, helicopters, and cruise missiles in high-threat environments.
A full NASAMS fire unit integrates multiple launcher canisters, an AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, advanced electro-optical sensors, and a Fire Distribution Center linked through a distributed architecture. Upgraded versions, including NASAMS 2 and NASAMS 3, bring enhanced situational awareness with tactical data links like Link 16, improved fire-control systems, and broadened missile compatibility. With options such as the AMRAAM-ER for extended reach and the AIM-9X for close-in engagements, the system can intercept targets tens of kilometers away while allowing dispersed deployment of radars and launchers to increase survivability against enemy strikes.
