Taiwan could have to wait until late 2011 for F16C/D jets: Reports

Taiwan News Online ^ | 6/06/2010 | Taiwan News Online

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Taiwan might have to wait until the end of next year before the United States approves the sale of F16C/D jets, reports said Sunday. The government has been asking Washington for 66 of the more sophisticated C/D versions of its existing F16A/B fighters, but the Obama Administration has so far not given the go-ahead for the deal.

The current visits by American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt and by three U.S. Senate Democrats – Dianne Feinstein of California, Mark Udall of Colorado and Kay Hagan of North Carolina – have led to more speculation about progress on the arms purchase.

However, the likelihood of approval for the F16C/D sale was low in the near future, the Chinese-language United Evening News reported Sunday. Washington was reportedly more likely to offer upgrading Taiwan’s present F16A/B fleet, according to the paper.

If the new planes had still not been approved by the end of this year, then a deal before the end of 2011 was unlikely, reports said.

President Ma Ying-jeou reportedly told the visiting U.S. senators that the planes were needed to strengthen Taiwan’s defensive capabilities in the face of China’s rapidly modernizing armed forces and to beef up morale. The senators did not oppose arms sales to Taiwan but also refrained from taking a clear stand on the topic of the fighter jets, the United Evening News said.

In January, the U.S. approved the sale of a US$6.4 billion package including Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and mine hunters, but not the F16 jets or the design plans for diesel-fueled submarines. Taiwan had been seeking to obtain the weapons for many years.

China struck back by announcing sanctions on the U.S. defense firms involved in the deal

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Ping

[Jet Jaguar]

F-16 ping.