Taiwan To Purchase MBDA Missile Parts For Mirage Jets

 THE European procurement office of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has finalised negotiations with French missile manufacturer MBDA to procure parts for their inventory of French-made MICA and R-550 Magic short to medium-range air-to-air missiles (AAM) in a USD127.95 million agreement. The procurement will run from Jan 2024 onwards until the end of 2028 as part of an effort to beef up air combat capabilities of the 54 Dassault Mirage fighters still serving amidst debates on whether the Mirages should be retired. However, the aircraft have been assessed to still be imperative to the defense of the country. In July of last year, MBDA agreed to carry out life extension verification for Taiwan’s two-seater Mirages for a sum of USD4.8 million over three years. Before 2023 ended, the MND also spent USD309 million to acquire components for the aircraft to preserve logistical efficiency of the fleet. shp/adj/dl (Pix:MBDA)