File photo of a Guardian drone. AFP
Reuters: Exclusive: Taiwan in talks to make first purchase of sophisticated U.S. drones - sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is negotiating the sale of at least four of its large sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time, according to six U.S. sources familiar with the negotiations, in a deal that is likely to ratchet up tensions with China.
The SeaGuardian surveillance drones have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km), far greater than the 160-mile range of Taiwan’s current fleet of drones.
While the sale of the unmanned aerial vehicles has been tacitly authorized by the State Department, two of the people said, it is not known whether the U.S. officials have approved exporting the drones with weapons attached, one of them said.
The deal has to be approved by members of Congress who may receive formal notification as soon as next month, two of the people said. Congress could choose to block a final agreement.
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WNU Editor: This will significantly enhance Taiwan's surveillance capabilities. You can take this to the bank. By the end of today China is going to voice its objections (if not already).
