President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday at a military ceremony reiterated her resolve to build strong self-defense capabilities for Taiwan.
“Building a capable self-defense will make our military and nation even stronger,” Tsai said, as she presided over a ceremony at Pingtung Airbase to mark the commissioning of 12 P-3C Orion maritime surveillance planes and the decommissioning of the fleet of 11 S-2T Trackers.
The 12 P-3Cs, acquired from the US for US$1.9 billion in 2007, are to replace the aging S-2T maritime patrol aircraft that have been in service for more than 40 years, and are expected to boost the nation’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the base said.
Photo: CNA
Seen as playing an essential role in anti-submarine warfare and in defending Taiwan from China, the aircraft are equipped with torpedoes and depth charges designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high-performance surface vessels.
The new fleet could help the nation counter the threat of submarines and gain naval supremacy in safeguarding Taiwan, Tsai said.
She also praised a project to produce advanced jet fighter training aircraft as part of the government’s efforts to develop a local defense industry.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
In April, the Ministry of National Defense launched the NT$68.6 billion (US$2.29 billion) program that aims to build 66 locally developed advanced jet trainers by 2026, with the first one scheduled to deploy in 2020.
“The plan to build locally developed advanced jet trainers has been faring smoothly and will be carried out as scheduled, with the first completed jet trainer to take off in 2020,” Tsai said.
“As the commander-in-chief of the nation’s military, it is my unwavering mission to build a strong and capable army,” she said, adding that the government remains committed to building submarines in Taiwan despite recent frustrations, referring to a scandal related to a local firm contracted to build minesweepers for the navy.
Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co (慶富造船) won the NT$34.9 billion contract to build six minesweepers for the navy in October 2014.
The firm is under investigation for trying to secure a NT$20.5 billion syndicated loan from a group of domestic banks, allegedly by using bogus documents to falsify four capital increments that made it eligible to receive the loan.
A total of 18 former and acting navy officers last week received a wide range of punishments, from demerits to admonitions, for failing to confirm that Ching Fu had the requisite financial and manufacturing ability before awarding the contract to the company and failing to monitor the execution of the contract.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS