Back in July, there was much debate on whether the HIMARS was just overhyped and overpriced, but the Ukraine-Russia war proved to be the best marketing stage for Lockheed Martin to showcase the full potential of this rocket system. So now, they’re introducing a price increase, and countries like Taiwan are trying to catch the best deal.

In new reports, Taiwan has ordered another batch of eleven HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) for the US to deliver to their military as part of its bid to strengthen its defense protocols amid China’s threats. Last month, Taiwan also ordered 29 HIMARS and MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition, legislator Wang Ting-yu of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) also announced that they had signed a contract with the US for the SeaGuardian UAVs in a deal that’s worth $555 million.

As for the HIMARS deal was initially slated at $300.9 million, but new reports show the US has increased the deal to $313.3 million. The initial rollout of HIMARS was supposed to start in 2024, but as analysts measure ongoing threats from China, there is a possibility that Taiwan could request an expedited delivery, looking at the HIMARS reserve in the US.

HIMARS
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Source: rawpixel)

This could be one of the reasons why the deal amount was increased. On another note, Taiwan’s need for these HIMARS is generally stronger than its intention to save a couple million. Seeing how Ukrainians made this massive push simply because of HIMARS, they would not back down on a deal that could help them win against China.