Taiwan has signed an NT$11.25 billion (US$345.5 million) contract with the US to procure infrared search and track (IRST) systems that, according to a military source, are to be used for F-16V jets.
A notice posted yesterday on the Government e-Procurement System said that the deal to procure the systems was signed by the Ministry of Defense’s Defense Mission to the US and the American Institute in Taiwan on June 25.
The contract is valid from the day it was signed to Dec. 31, 2030.
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP
The systems, which were first announced in an arms sale package of the IRST systems and 16 related items on Aug. 23 last year, would be used on Taiwan’s fleet of 66 F-16V jets ordered from the US, a military source with knowledge of the matter said.
According to the notice on the procurement system, the contract’s supervising agency is the air force, with an address corresponding to the Zhi-Hang Air Base in Taitung County, where the F-16Vs are to be stationed.
The ministry said the new-generation IRST systems were developed specifically for the F-16V and would vastly enhance the fighters’ target acquisition and tracking capabilities, as well as their overall air combat performance.
Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), an expert at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, last year told reporters that the IRSTs could be effectively deployed against China’s fifth-generation fighters.
The systems are capable of picking up heat signatures emitted by aircraft such as engine exhausts, and heat generated by friction between the fuselage and the air, giving it the upper hand on China’s new fighters, which would be otherwise hard to detect due to their compact radar cross-section, Shu said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS