A legislator yesterday said the price for procuring 60 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the US had increased from US$2.1 billion (NT$63 billion) to US$2.5 billion and asked the military to negotiate with the US to reduce the cost.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) told a Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting that the military and the US signed a letter of authorization on Oct. 19 on the procurement of the 60 helicopters at a price of US$2.5 billion. However, in its letter of quotation in 2007, the US stipulated a US$2.1 billion tag price, meaning the military would have to spend US$400 million, or a 20 percent more than the original quote.
Lin said the increase was unreasonable.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋) said that during negotiations between March and October, the military had persuaded the US to lower the price by US$230 million, but was still not satisfied and would continue negotiating.
The sale prices for UH-60 helicopters to different countries is public information and the military would not agree to pay more than the US charges other countries for the same items, he said.
A medium-lift utility helicopter, the Blackhawk can serve a number of functions, including air assault, air cavalry and evacuation. It can also be configured to carry out medical evacuation, command-and-control, search-and-rescue, armed escort, electronic warfare and executive transport missions.
Chao said the army was planning to acquire new tanks between now and 2013. While the army intended to purchase more than 200 tanks, the ministry was still assessing which type was best, he said.
Meanwhile, reports over the weekend said the first of a dozen marine-patrol aircraft were set to go into service next year.
The US agreed in 2007 to sell the refurbished P-3C Orion aircraft, along with three machines for spares, and “the first ones will be delivered next year,” the Chinese-language China Times said.
“The surveillance range of Taiwan’s anti-submarine fleet will expand tenfold after the P-3Cs join the navy,” it quoted an unnamed military source as saying.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
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