The military has officially requested new fighter jets from the US, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding that Washington was asked to advise on the type and number of fighter jets that would be required to meet Taiwan’s operational needs.
The Air Force Command has been planning to procure new fighter jets since 2003, as the aircraft in its service are nearing the middle of their service life, Deputy Minister of National Defense Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴) told a news conference in Taipei.
The minister’s remarks clarified the ministry’s partial confirmation on Wednesday of a report in the Chinese-language Apple Daily that said it was considering a US$13 billion deal for 66 F-16Vs, including training and servicing.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Shen and other defense officials yesterday said a request has been sent to the US, but that media outlets were incorrect about the details.
Shen rejected a report by the Chinese-language China Times saying that the deal had originated with the US government, and that it was overpriced and designed to facilitate a visit to the US by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) ahead of the presidential election next year.
“The story is sheer speculation and utterly without any basis in fact,” Shen said. “The ministry strongly protests the report and we demand that the news agency responsible retract the story.”
The air force considers Lockheed Martin F-16A/B/Vs, Dassault Mirage F-2000-5s and AIDC F-CK-1s its best fighters, of which there are 326, but the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s growing air power is causing an “imbalance” across the Taiwan Strait, Air Force Chief of Planning Major General Tang Hung-an (唐洪安) said.
The military would not object to any type of jet fighter that meets its operational requirements and would make no mention of “what the armed forces want” in any communications with the US, Tang said.
Instead, the military would wait for the US’ recommendations, and then select and negotiate the price accordingly, Tang said.
A program to upgrade F-16A/Bs to F-16Vs is behind schedule, but the air force is conducting monthly meetings with Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC, 漢翔航空工業), Lockheed Martin and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Tang said.
Meanwhile, the air force expects AIDC to increase its staff and technical capabilities to the point that it could begin retrofitting 24 F-16Vs per year, Tang said.
Ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said the plan for the new fighter jets is about enhancing air defense capabilities, not replacing existing jets.
The F-16V carries the AN/APG-83 radar, which means it has an improved detection range and fire-control compared with its predecessors. It can also be equipped with AIM-9X missiles linked to a helmet-mounted cueing system.
AIT spokeswoman Amanda Mansour said that it is the policy of the US government not to comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until the US Congress has been formally notified.
“Without speaking to any specific cases, we can say that under long-standing US policy, US arms sales to Taiwan are guided by the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA] and based on an assessment of Taiwan’s defense needs,” Mansour said.
The US and Taiwan have a strong defense relationship and have maintained continuous communication regarding the latter’s defense requirements, she said.
Across decades and presidential administrations, the US has remained deeply committed to meeting Taiwan’s defense needs, she said.
“This administration is resolved to fully implement the provisions of the TRA under which the US makes available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” she added.
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS