Four domestic aerospace firms and a research agency together signed a memorandum of understanding with Lockheed-Martin Co's Taiwan branch yesterday to cooperate in seeking aircraft maintenance orders from the ROC air force.
The signatories are the state-owned Aerospace Industry Development Corp (漢翔航空), China Airlines Co (華航), Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp (長榮航太), Air Asia Co (亞洲航空) and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院).
In addition to seeking military aircraft maintenance orders, the six companies will also explore the Asia-Pacific military and commercial aircraft maintenance market. They said they hope to secure at least NT$20 billion (US$5.8 billion) worth of orders over four years.
Lockheed-Martin Co is the manufacturer of F-16 jet fighters. The air force has 150 F-16s. The six signatories said in the memorandum that they will cooperate in establishing an Asia-Pacific maintenance base centered around F-16s, C-130 and other types of aircraft in the air force fleet.
Snecma Co of France, manufacturer of the engine for Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters, has already signed a cooperative pact with Lockheed-Martin, so it has right to take part in the new joint venture project. Taiwan's military has 60 Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters.
Industrial Development Bureau Director-General Chen Chao-yi (
Ministry of National Defense is expected to announce in a month the guidelines for implementing its "government-own-company-operate" policy on military production lines management.
Chen said the air force will place its aircraft repair and maintenance orders with private companies as part of the ministry's military streamlining plan.
The air force will begin to implement this policy at the beginning of next year. By that time, Chen said, the air force is expected to release a number of warplane repair and maintenance orders to private firms.
Chen said the bureau estimates that the air force will place NT$10 billion worth of aircraft maintenance orders by 2005.
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