Lockheed Martin’s IRST21 Legion-ES system is set to significantly strengthen Taiwan’s air defense posture following a new $328.5-million US FMS award. The passive infrared sensors allow aircraft to detect and track targets without revealing their position through radar emissions, providing a critical advantage in contested airspace. As the first allied deployment of the Legion-ES configuration, the program underscores deepening US-Taiwan defense cooperation. The deal also fits within a broader pattern of recent US arms sales to Taiwan, which have focused on improving survivability, situational awareness, and asymmetric deterrence across air, land, and missile defense domains.
