WASHINGTON — The U.S State Department has approved an arms sale worth of over $2 billion to Taiwan, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency news release.<br /><br />The package includes M1A2 Abram tanks and surface-to-air Stinger missiles. Reuters reports that Taiwan has been interested in updating its current U.S-built tank inventory. This includes M60 Patton tanks.<br /><br />According to Military.com, the M1A2 Abrams are equipped with a 120mm XM256 Smooth Bore Cannon and can travel at a maximum speed of 42 mph. With a range of 265 miles, the tank can also carry four people.<br /><br />Global Security.org lists Stinger missiles or the FIM-92 Stinger as a man-portable, shoulder-launched air-defense system. It is a "fire-and-forget" weapon, employing a passive infrared seeker which locks onto, or seeks, the heat from an aircraft engine.<br /><br />34 ScanEagle drones are being sold by the Pentagon to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam in a deal worth $47 million.<br /><br />According to Reuters, these may limit Chinese activity in the region as the technology allows for more comprehensive intelligence-gathering.
