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Trump administration notifies US Congress of plan to sell F-16s to Taiwan
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) ^ | August 21, 2019 | Mark Magnier

Posted on 08/21/2019 12:51:30 PM PDT by BeauBo

The Trump administration formally notified Congress on Tuesday of its plans to authorise an US$8 billion sale of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan over Beijing’s objections, in a step that makes the deal all but certain...

The Chinese foreign ministry hit back on Wednesday, saying Beijing would take countermeasures. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard our interests, including imposing sanctions on the US companies taking part in this arms sale to Taiwan,” ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said...

The last sale of military aircraft to Taipei was a quarter century ago...

The proposed deal involves the F-16C/D variations, also known as the Viper, an advanced version of the F-16s currently in Taiwan’s arsenal...

The Vipers can carry a wide range of short- and medium-range air-to-air missiles to better counter threatened air strikes from mainland China’s fourth-generation aircraft like the Su-35 and J-10, according to military experts. The deal will also allow President Donald Trump to boast about the American jobs he has created for Lockheed Martin, the main builder, and a host of subcontractors, in the lead-up to his 2020 re-election bid.

(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; f16; taiwan
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The balance of forces is going to start shifting over the next few years in Asia.
1 posted on 08/21/2019 12:51:30 PM PDT by BeauBo
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To: KC_Lion

Ping.


2 posted on 08/21/2019 12:52:58 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: BeauBo

The chinese navy should be suffering a serious loss of ships from mysterious explosions.


3 posted on 08/21/2019 12:54:15 PM PDT by chief lee runamok (expect nothing)
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To: BeauBo

Trump knows who our real enemy is....

And the ‘Rats just want to cuddle with them and sing songs


4 posted on 08/21/2019 1:01:16 PM PDT by Trump.Deplorable
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To: All

I believe it is F-16V Block 70 multi-role, which is a nice upgrade.

also

“The Republic of China Air Force (ROFAF) is also currently upgrading its existing F-16 fighter aircraft fleet, as I noted previously:

[The service] is in the process of upgrading its F-16 A/B fleet to the F-16V variant under a program codenamed Phoenix Rising Project, which was launched in 2016. By 2023, the ROCAF hopes to upgrade 144 F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to the F-16V configuration. Upgrades costs are estimated at over $5 billion.

The first four retrofitted F-16A/B fighters, upgraded by Taiwan’s state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), were handed over to ROCAF at an airbase in Chiayi county in southwestern Taiwan in October 2018. Taiwan also intends to procure additional beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles form the U.S.

This July, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks, along with a range of support equipment and arms including M88A2 HERCULES vehicles, and M1070A1 Heavy Equipment Transporters for an estimated $2 billion. It also approved the sale of 250 Block I -92F MANPAD Stinger missiles and four I-92F MANPAD Stinger Fly-to-Buy missiles. “

FU China


5 posted on 08/21/2019 1:06:38 PM PDT by rbmillerjr
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To: rbmillerjr

...worked for many years as a “wrench-bender” on the Block 30 F-16 C and D variants.... I understand many of the very “birds” I worked on are in permanent storage in the “boneyard” or have already flown their last flight as drones... Upgrading the A and B series to Block 70s...? must be a labor of love...I would imagine the airframes on those A and B models are a bit “long in the tooth...”..??


6 posted on 08/21/2019 1:29:23 PM PDT by TokarevM57
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To: BeauBo

We’ve been selling them all kinds of arms for years. And China has been complaining for years.


7 posted on 08/21/2019 1:40:40 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: BeauBo

GOOD


8 posted on 08/21/2019 1:48:30 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
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To: BeauBo

Taiwan Flies the Red, White and Blue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDjw7scaHzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpKE4wWSmw


9 posted on 08/21/2019 1:59:46 PM PDT by bunkerhill7
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To: BeauBo

BBC said China will impose Sanctions on the US over the sale of F-16’s to Taiwan ,LOL


10 posted on 08/21/2019 2:24:34 PM PDT by butlerweave
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To: Trump.Deplorable

...the ‘Rats just want to cuddle with them and sing songs
...
___________________________________________
And spend all that lovely money.


11 posted on 08/21/2019 2:56:56 PM PDT by reformedliberal
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To: BeauBo

Good.

We should also sell them missile shields.


12 posted on 08/21/2019 3:59:05 PM PDT by TBP (Progressives lack compassion and tolerance. Their self-aggrandizement is all that matters.)
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To: BeauBo

Chinese already have won unfortunately. If a Democrat gets the presidency they will move and claim Taiwan.


13 posted on 08/21/2019 4:26:27 PM PDT by kaehurowing
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To: butlerweave

BBC said China will impose Sanctions on the US over the sale of F-16’s to Taiwan ,LOL


Enjoy your iphone while you can.


14 posted on 08/21/2019 4:28:52 PM PDT by kaehurowing
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To: BeauBo

At long last. The bastard KMT dragged its feet on buying the F-16’s after Dubya authorized their sale, to the point that Dubya withdrew the authorization.

http://www.f-16.net/f-16-news-article2006.html


15 posted on 08/21/2019 5:24:37 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: TBP
We should also sell them missile shields.

If we don't, I'll bet Israel would.

16 posted on 08/21/2019 8:37:06 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling.)
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To: kaehurowing
sanctions on the US companies taking part in this arms sale to Taiwan

----

Enjoy your iphone while you can.

----

Apple is taking part in this arms sale to Taiwan?

It's not an effective threat anyway. Any supply disruptions would be short lived. Where there's money to be made...

Besides, Trump is pressing full court, and China is gonna run out of ball handlers.

17 posted on 08/21/2019 8:44:47 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling.)
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To: BeauBo

Can you imagine how wound up the PRC will be if we also would sell some ground based cruise missiles to Taiwan?

(Maybe we should announce just that, and then pull back so long as China offers us some other concession.)


18 posted on 08/21/2019 8:49:53 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling.)
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To: Zhang Fei
Yup.

Maybe they are watching events in HK.

P.S. I had a Delta 88, many moons ago...

:-)

19 posted on 08/21/2019 8:53:32 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling.)
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To: Paul R.

[Can you imagine how wound up the PRC will be if we also would sell some ground based cruise missiles to Taiwan?]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsiung_Feng_III
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsiung_Feng_III_missile_mishap


20 posted on 08/21/2019 9:04:17 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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