Armaments Bureau chief says Taiwan, U.S. plan to co-produce 155mm shells

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The head of the Armaments Bureau told lawmakers on Monday that Taiwan and the United States plan to jointly produce 155mm artillery shells because the munition has proven to be in high demand during the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and is considered useful for Taiwan's self-defense.

Lieutenant General Lin Wen-hsiang (林文祥), head of the bureau under the Ministry of National Defense (MND) responsible for arms procurement and weapons development, made the remarks during a legislative session when lawmakers asked him to give an example of Taiwan's partnership with its allies in producing munitions.

Lin replied that given the strong demand for 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion, and in light of Taiwan's own defensive needs, Taiwan and the U.S. plan to jointly produce 155mm shells.

Once the cooperation has proven successful, the collaboration could be expanded to other types of munitions, he said, adding, however, that he could not provide further details due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Taiwan and its closest arms provider, the U.S., have been in talks to co-produce munitions and weapon systems for several years.

During a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in November, Alexander Velez-Green, the nominee for U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told senators that joint weapons production should focus on projects that are relatively less complex and within Taiwan's existing capabilities.

"Appropriate co-production or similar opportunities should focus on less technically complex capabilities for which Taiwan has existing workforce and production infrastructure," he said during the Nov. 6 committee session.

Meanwhile, speaking during the same legislative hearing on Monday, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) defended the MND's decision to purchase munitions overseas, saying domestically made shells are not cheaper than those acquired internationally.

Lt. Gen. Lin added that in the case of M855 steel-core ammunition procured by Taiwan, the military's current domestic production cost is NT$16.18 (US$0.51) per round (with a budgeted amount of NT$18.86), while the winning bid price for foreign procurement is NT$15.53.

The bid price is lower than the NT$16.18 approved by the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Logistics, Lin said, therefore, overseas procurement is not more expensive.

Koo explained that the MND purchases shells and munitions --including, most recently, U.S.-made M855 bullets -- because demand has increased after Taiwan extended compulsory military service to one year from the previous four months and stepped up the frequency of reservist training and live-fire exercises.

Taiwan's military used 23.4 million rounds of ammunition in 2021, while in 2025 the figure more than doubled to 58.81 million rounds, Koo said.