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Report says Taiwan is conducting talks to buy US choppers

Taiwan is in talks with US companies to purchase dozens of attack and transport helicopters and upgrade the AH-1W Super Cobra attack fleet serving the army, Jane's Defence Weekly said.

"Taiwan and Bell Helicopter-Textron have launched talks on co-manufacturing UH-1Y Huey light utility and AH-1Z King Cobra attack helicopters to fulfil Taipei's requirement for 35 and 30, respectively, of the aircraft," the London-based publication said in an article to be published on Wednesday.

Rreplacing

If the deals go ahead, the UH-1Y would replace part of the army's fleet of Bell UH-1hs, which are nearing the end of their service life after 32 years, it said.

Bell is also proposing Taiwan's army upgrade its 63 Bell AH-1W Super Cobras, acquired in the 1990s, to AH-1Z configuration, the weekly said.

US-based Sikorsky is competing with Bell for the deals.

The weekly said Sikorsky was proposing its UH-60 Black Hawk to replace Taiwan's UH-1H fleet.

Track record

Sikorsky also has a track record in Taiwan, whose navy operates two squadrons of Sikorsky SH-70C anti-submarine warfare helicopters acquired in the 1990s.

Competition

A third competitor is Boeing, which is proposing the AH-64D Apache Longbow to fulfil the attack-helicopter requirement.

"However, the company is still suffering political fallout after closing the door of its Seattle plant to Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu in August 2003," it said.

Lu had planned to visit the 747-400 production line following a 2002 order by China Airlines for 10 aircraft.

Low profile

Boeing was keeping a low profile in Taiwan, a source involved in the Apache negotiations told the weekly, and was reportedly "terrified of losing the China market."

The company's Taipei representative refused an interview request.
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