The eight diesel-electric submarines that the US has promised to get for Taiwan will cost between US$8.6 billion (NT$301 billion) and US$11.7 billion (NT$409 billion), a US naval delegation visiting Taiwan said yesterday.
The cost would depend on the tonnage of the submarines -- either 1,500 tonnes or 2,000 tonnes -- a lawmaker who met with the US naval delegation said yesterday.
"The US delegation did not tell us what type of submarine it has found for us. But we insist that the submarines not be built in Spain," said People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
Lin, one of the lawmakers who attended a closed-door meeting with the US naval delegation yesterday, quoted the delegation as saying that the US hopes to see Taiwan's legislature pass by next July the navy's budget request for the submarines in the form of special budget.
As to whether some of the submarines could be built locally by the state-run China Shipbuilding Corp, Lin said the delegation did not give a straight answer.
"They just said they will let China Shipbuilding play a part in the business," Lin said.
The delegation also revealed a list of four main contractors for the provision of weapons systems for the submarines.
They list includes General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
Missing from the picture is the company that will provide the blueprint for the submarine.
Lin's comment suggests Spain is being considered by the US for the provision of the submarines.
Spain had sent a delegation in recent months to Taiwan to brief authorities on the type of submarine it could provide, anonymous defense sources said.
Germany and Italy are also in the running for the contract.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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