Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has publicly detailed the weapon systems planned under its proposed 1.25-trillion New Taiwan dollar ($40 billion) special defense budget, aimed at strengthening the island’s military posture from 2026 through 2033. Announced by the president in November 2025, the spending plan is designed to enhance deterrence, accelerate defense modernization, and reinforce Taiwan’s domestic defense industry amid growing pressure from China. The disclosure followed a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, addressing opposition criticism over limited transparency that had repeatedly stalled the bill’s passage. The ministry outlined seven capability areas, some already approved by Washington under an $11-billion arms package. Roughly 300 billion NTD will fund domestically developed systems, while the majority will be spent on overseas procurement, particularly US-origin equipment. Priority items include precision artillery led by 60 M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, thousands of precision shells, and supporting vehicles. Long-range strike capabilities follow, centered on HIMARS launchers, guided rocket pods, and tactical missiles. Uncrewed systems form a major pillar, including Altius loitering munitions, ISR drones, hundreds of thousands of UAVs for coastal missions, and over 1,000 uncrewed surface vessels alongside counter-drone systems. Additional funding covers anti-armor missiles, AI-enabled command and decision-support systems, expanded wartime production capacity, and Taiwan-US co-development projects. The budget also allocates funds for urgent ammunition purchases to rapidly improve readiness.
