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Taiwan seeks to purchase attack helicopters

Taiwan has told Washington it wishes to buy 30 US-made AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters to boost its anti-landing capability against China, it was reported yesterday.

Taiwanese military authorities have applied for the arms transfers via the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Taiwan's Broadcasting Cooperation of China (BCC) reported.

AIT was set up to handle civil exchanges with Taiwan after Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

In a report from Washington, the BCC quoted an unnamed US Defense Security Cooperation Agency official as saying the US army is handling the deal.

Taiwan's defense ministry refused to comment.

Local newspapers reported that a sizeable group of Boeing executives flew to Taipei on a private 737 passenger aircraft early in February.

It said that the Taiwanese army had accepted the proposal presented by a special US combat evaluation unit that Taiwan needs to set up a third, highly mobile brigade made up of a fleet of Apaches.

"The third `aviation cavalry' brigade would be based in central Taiwan and, with its high mobility, be used to rescue defense units should they be attacked," the report said.

"Taiwan's anti-landing capability would be dramatically boosted, given the powerful weapons carried by Apaches and their all weather reconnaissance capability," it said.

Washington announced in April of last year the most comprehensive arms package to Taipei since 1992, including four Kidd-class destroyers, eight diesel submarines and 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft.

That deal, which infuriated China, followed a two-year US review of Taiwan's air force and navy.

But Washington put off a decision on Taipei's request to be given AH-64D helicopters and M1-A2 battle tanks.

Critics have said Taiwan does not need the costly Apache and M1-A2s as the army already operates a fleet of AH-1H Super Cobra attack helicopters and Taiwan's mountainous terrain is too difficult for the 70-tonne tank.

The price of the helicopters was not immediately available.
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