Boeing Co of the US is negotiating the sale of 60 to 100 AV-8B Harrier vertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL) fighter planes with Taiwan, according to the latest issue of a local defense magazine.
If the deal succeeds, Taiwan is expected to start taking delivery of the AV-8Bs in 2005, the Defense Technology Monthly magazine said in its October issue.
To sweeten the deal, Boeing has promised to offer terms beneficial to Taiwan, including transferring relevant technology and upgrading the radar system of the AV-8Bs to match that of the F-16 series fighter jets, the magazine said.
Boeing sent a team to Taiwan early this year to brief the military on the AV-8B package it plans to offer Taiwan, according to the magazine. It reported that the total package will include between 60 and 100 AV-8Bs.
The English-language Flight International magazine had an article on the same topic in its Aug. 21 issue.
The Taipei Times printed an exclusive report on Aug. 21 last year on the military's plans to purchase AV-8Bs from the US.
The US initially did not accept the Taiwanese military's request for the AV-8Bs, according to defense sources. It urged Taiwan instead to buy AV-8As, an older version of the British-designed VSTOL aircraft. The military turned down the arrangement saying that the AV-8As could not meet the combat requirements of Taiwan in the 21st century, sources said.
Now the situation seems to have changed in Taiwan's favor, with the US agreeing not only to sell the AV-8Bs to Taiwan but also to provide some lucrative terms as part of the deal.
The Aerospace Industry Development Corporation, a private company and developer of the IDF fighter plane, is expected to win a contract from Boeing to produce the wing parts of the AV-8Bs, according to the magazine.
The contract will give a boost to the struggling firm, which has been awarded very few big contracts since completing the production of 130 IDFs for the air force two years ago.
The purchase of the AV-8Bs is part of the military's effort to build a force of third-generation fighters, according to an air force official.
F-16s, IDFs and Mirage 2000-5s are referred to as second-generation fighters to differentiate them from older fighter jets such as F-5Es and F-104s.
The air force's main demands for third-generation fighters are those with short or vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, the air force official said.
The Joint Strike Fighter currently being developed in the US is also being considered for purchase because of its VSTOL capabilities, the official said, but the chances of Taiwan acquiring the jet are very slim.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
RSS