US Sells 400 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles to Taiwan – Will it Make a Difference?

– The US Harpoon anti-ship missiles will not reach Taiwan until 2029, several years after US planners believe the window of opportunity to wage a conflict with China will close;

– Long-range anti-ship missiles require naval radar or aircraft to acquire targets, but US war planners believe such assets of Taiwan will be destroyed within the first few days of any armed conflict;

– China has other ways of imposing a blockade on the island province of Taiwan including targeting ports and ships attempting to enter or leave them with missiles, submarines are also an option;

– It is likely the sale of 400 Harpoon missiles to Taiwan was meant to provoke Beijing and reap profits for Boeing, not actually protect the administration on Taiwan;

References:

Defense News – How ‘MacGyver’ magic can get Taiwan its Harpoon defenses faster (December 2022):
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/c…

Diplomat – Building Taiwan’s Own Area Denial Capabilities (September 2022):
https://thediplomat.com/2022/09/build…

Forbes – 3,600 American Cruise Missiles Versus The Chinese Fleet: How One U.S. Munition Could Decide Taiwan’s Fate (January 2023):
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…

CSIS – Missiles of China:
https://missilethreat.csis.org/countr…

CSIS – Missiles of Taiwan:
https://missilethreat.csis.org/countr…