If the US is willing to transfer technology to Taiwan, Taiwan would be able to build AEGIS-equipped destroyers on its own, a defense planner said yesterday.
"Our state-run China Shipbuilding Corp (CSC) has experience and competence in building warships. It built the Chengkung-class frigates," said Vice Admiral Hung Cheng-lo (洪振洛), deputy chief of the general staff for planning.
"The previous shipbuilding experience of the CSC shows that we Taiwanese are not inferior to the people of any other country," Hung told a group of KMT lawmakers.
Hung made the remarks yesterday as he answered questions at a meeting with a group of KMT lawmakers. The meeting was held to exchange views with military leaders on national defense issues. Minister of National Defense Wu Shih-wen (伍世文) also attended.
A naval official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Taipei Times that although the navy is eager to get advanced warships like the AEGIS destroyers, it is not as interested in buying them without technology transfers as it is in building them in Taiwan with US technology.
"If the US agrees to sell us the AEGIS-equipped ships this year, the ships will not be delivered to us for another eight to 10 years. What the navy wants most is to buy technology from the US and build the AEGIS-equipped ships in Taiwan. The CSC built the Chengkung-class frigates. These ships were modeled on US Perry-class frigates," the official said.
A high-ranking official with the corporation, who asked not to be identified, said the corporation "absolutely has the ability to build the AEGIS-equipped ships."
"The CSC is very good at assembling ships as long as it gets the blueprints for them. It will be the same with the AEGIS-equipped ships," the official said.
"When we built the Chengkung-class frigates, we took only 40 months to produce one vessel. We have the ability to build advanced ships. What we need is technical support from the US," he said.
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