Thu, Mar 22, 2001 page1

• Taiwan navy not ready for AEGIS

  ARMS ACQUISITION The US needs proof that Taiwan's navy is capable of operating the advanced warships and this, not China, is the main factor preventing the sale from going through, opines one defense analyst

  • By Brian Hsu / STAFF REPORTER
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  With or without pressure from China, the US government will not agree to sell AEGIS-equipped guided missile destroyers to Taiwan before the Taiwan navy proves itself to be competent to handle the advanced warships, a defense source told the Taipei Times yesterday.

  The US government will use the Kidd-class destroyer, which it is to sell to Taiwan, to test whether the navy is qualified to operate a more advanced warship like the AEGIS-equipped Arleigh-Burke-class vessels, the defense source said.

  "The US' hesitancy is understandable. It is also justifiable considering the past performance of the Taiwan navy in operating second-generation warships like the Knox-class, Cheng Kung-class, and Lafayette-class frigates over the past few years," the source said.

  "The Kidd destroyer will be a testing ground for the navy. If they can prove themselves to be competent in every way to handle a state-of-the-art warship, the US will then seriously consider approving the sales of AEGIS ships to Taiwan."

  Erich Shih (施孝瑋), a senior editor with Defense International magazine, said it is true that the AEGIS ships are quite different to any warship currently in service with Taiwan's navy.

  Citing the air defense capabilities of the AEGIS warship as an example, Shih said: "The operation of Standard Missile II on the AEGIS [system] would be a new experience for the navy since it is quite different from any missile of a similar kind currently in use in the navy."

  "We would not be able to get the Kidd warships until three years down the line. However, I know why the Americans insist on selling the decommissioned Kidds to us. These ships are to assist the Taiwan navy in getting used to operating much more sophisticated weapons platforms," Shih said.

  Chung Chien (鍾堅), a National Tsing Hua University professor who has close contact with the military, offered a different view on the issue, saying the US will not sell the AEGIS ships to Taiwan but will offer something else.

  "The US wants one AEGIS-like ship built in Taiwan," Chung said.

  The ship will be built under full technical assistance from the US. It is to become the Taiwanese version of the AEGIS warship," Chung added.

  "I do not think the US will transfer to us the technology for the construction of their AEGIS warships."

  A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military has been prepared to accept the fact that the US will not agree to sell to Taiwan the AEGIS-equipped ships any time soon.

  "We have an alternative plan under the circumstances. We will try to persuade the US to sell us the air defense phased-array radar used within the AEGIS system. The radar system is the best part of the warship. If we have the radar, we can build an anti-ballistic missile shield on our own," the official said.

  "In other words, we will seek to build a land-based missile defense system. It is to be the second-best choice to the acquisition of AEGIS-equipped ships," he said.

  "But there are yet many problems to be dealt with before the plan can become practicable," he added.
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