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Taipei, July 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Air Force celebrated the 25th anniversary of taking its first delivery of locally made IDF fighter jets at an air base in Taichung, and pledged to continue to beef up its capabilities in the face of the military threat from China. Lt. Gen. Hu Kai-hung (胡開宏), deputy commander of the Air Force, said at the ceremony that Taiwan has faced many difficulties in procuring advanced weapons systems from other countries due to the international situation, meaning that Taiwan has also had to develop home-grown defense capabilities. The development, production, delivery and commission of the IDFs...

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) Mirage fighters purchased from France have superb performance and Taiwan has no plans to decommission them ahead of schedule, Deputy National Defense Minister Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) said on Monday. The Apple Daily, a local newspaper, reported that 19 years have passed since Taiwan began to take delivery of Mirage fighters in 1997. Taiwan has been asking France to upgrade the performance of the 56 Mirage fighter jets since 2012, but Paris has been dragging its feet, and even gave an "exorbitant" price tag, which resulted in the MND not accepting the deal, the report said. There...

The Republic of China Army Aviation (RoCAA; Taiwan) has extreme difficulties keeping its 29 new AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters airborne. Part of the problem is a discovered material failure due to faulty production by Boeing. The American manufacturer of the legendary attack helicopter is using a new aluminum-magnesium alloy for the tail rotor gearbox and this material seems to be the reason of corrosion in salty and humid climates such as in Taiwan. Nine AH-64Es are grounded because of this issue, while Boeing technicians are trying to find a solution but for now just advising ill-tested short-term measures. Another...

(Reuters) - Canada is likely to choose between two major U.S. firms when it buys a new fleet of jet fighters, excluding two European competitors, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter and Boeing Co's F-18 E/F Super Hornet were deemed more suitable for the variety of tasks the military has laid out. The source said that while the F-35 had scored well on the various tests laid out by the military, the Super Hornet was almost as capable and had...

Taiwan Makes Pitch for Purchase of F-35 Fighter Jets WASHINGTON --- A delegation from the Taiwan-US Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association of Taiwan's Legislature said Wednesday in Washington that Taiwan wants to purchase advanced F-35 fighter jets that best suit its defense needs. Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator and Association Chairman Lin Yu-fang briefed reporters in Washington after the delegation's meeting at the Pentagon with David Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, to discuss Taiwan's needs for advanced defense weaponry. The delegation members, in their capacity as the Republic of China (ROC) lawmakers, also met with Gregory Kausner, deputy assistant secretary...

Taiwan eying acquisition of F-35 fighters: deputy defense minister 2011/09/19 14:18:17 Richmond, Virginia, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taiwan would be pleased if the United States has indeed agreed to help upgrade its fleet of F-16 A/B jet fighters, and plans to move toward procuring the even more sophisticated F-35 model in the future, Taiwan's Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang said in Richmond Sunday. "The retrofit of the F-16 A/B fleet is part of Taiwan's national defense policy. It would be great if the U.S. approves the deal," said Yang on the sidelines of the 2011 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, at which...

Radar upgrade for F-16s in doubt WAITING GAME:Adding to the uncertainty over the F-16C/D jets that have been requested, Taiwan must now wait for Washington to decide if it will get AESA radar By J. Michael Cole / Staff Reporter As Taiwan awaits Washington’s decision on whether it will sell the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D aircraft Taipei has been seeking since 2007, rumors are now emerging that Taipei’s request for preferred radar system for an upgrade program for its ageing F-16A/Bs might also be encountering difficulties. The US government is scheduled to announce on Oct. 1 — national day in the...

Obama’s Taiwanese AF F-16 Debacle Friends and Enemies Reuben F. Johnson July 7, 2011 9:00 AM As Henry Kissinger used to say, at times it is more dangerous to be America’s friend than its enemy. Further confirmation of this sage observation came on June 24 when the Obama State Department blocked another request by Taiwan to purchase 66 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter aircraft. These are badly needed by the Republic of China's air force to supplement an aging fleet of U.S., French and indigenously-built combat aircraft. The ROC's request for the F-16 purchase was officially been rejected three times between...

Taiwan to Lower Budget for F-16 Fighter Jets TAIPEI, Taiwan June 14, 2011 (AP) Taiwan to Lower Budget for F-16 Fighter Jets Taiwan's Defense Ministry has decided to slash the budget next year for procuring advanced F-16 C/D fighters jets from the U.S., a spokesman said Tuesday but added that Taipei remains determined to purchase the planes. The statement by Luo Shou-he followed a long delay in a U.S. decision on the sale as the Obama administration is reluctant to enrage China while it seeks Beijing's cooperation on various international economic and security issues. The move also reinforced the mixed...

Fighter jets carry out drill on freeway ‘CHINESE ATTACK’:The drill was based on a scenario in which airbases had been destroyed, forcing the air force to use alternative locations for landing and takeoff By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter, with AFP The Republic of China Air Force yesterday used a closed-off motorway as a runway in a rare drill simulating a surprise attack from China that had wiped out its major airbases. In all, six fighter aircraft landed and took off from Freeway No. 1 in an emergency landing and takeoff exercise, under the watchful eye of hundreds of spectators....

Washington Stalls on Refitting Taiwan's Air Force Written by Jens Kastner Serious implications for the US as guarantor of security in Asia Taipei for years has been requesting brand-new F-16C/D fighter jets from a reluctant Obama administration in Washington, DC, which is said to have shied away from authorizing the US$5.5 billion deal for fear of offending Beijing. The only alternative for Taiwan appears to be the prospect of a punchy midlife upgrade of its existing fleet of F-16A/Bs. But according to recent media reports, the upgrade won't happen anytime soon, If that proves true, Taiwan will in all likelihood...

Maintenance of Taiwan's AIM-120 missiles at risk: report 2011/02/17 21:16:10 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The sustainability of a U.S.-made missile that is part of Taiwan's defense arsenal could be at risk because the component makers have withdrawn from the manufacturing program, according to a military report. The maintenance and life-cycle of the hundreds of AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) that Taiwan currently has in service could be affected by the move, said a Taiwan Air Force report on the 2010 AMRAAM International Users' Conference that was held in Florida in May 2010. At the meeting, the U.S. had...

Days after Chinese leader Hu Jintao leaves Washington, Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou is again calling on the United States to supply Taiwan with fighter aircraft. The U.S. approved a $6.4-billion U.S.-dollar arms deal last year, to supply weapons to Taiwan. But the deal left out the F-16 fighter aircraft the Taiwanese government had originally requested. Taiwanese officials acknowledge that the Chinese regime has now tipped the balance in terms of military capability across the Taiwan strait. Taiwan is eager to modernize its military and has been attempting to buy new combat aircraft since 2006. President Ma addressed the issue at...

The U.S. is looking for the "right time" before any decision on arms sales to Taiwan, and any such move would not be swayed by China's likely reaction, the top U.S. representative to Taiwan said on Tuesday. Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, said that China's "habit" of breaking off military ties following arms deals was not a factor behind the lack of U.S. approval of Taiwan's long-standing request for advanced F-16 C/D fighter jets. "All good things come in their own time," Burghardt told reporters at a briefing during a visit to Taipei. "The military-military relationship...

A US congressional committee was told on Wednesday that Taiwan needed more advanced fighter aircraft and diesel submarines to defend itself against a possible attack by China. Testifying before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Larry Wortzel, a specialist on the Chinese and Taiwanese military, said that despite a notable improvement in relations across the Taiwan Strait, Beijing continues to insist on its right to use force should Taiwan move toward independence. “The cross-strait military balance increasingly favors China. Beijing has deployed over 1,100 short-range ballistic missiles opposite the island. In my view, Taiwan’s most pressing need...

It is going to take “Herculean” efforts to persuade US President Barack Obama and his closest advisers to sell F-16C/D fighters to Taiwan, US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers said on Wednesday. He said he believed the US administration would agree to “retrofit” Taiwan’s fleet of 145 F16s, but sounded very doubtful about the future sale of new fighters. Taipei has asked to buy 66 new F16s and the request is “under consideration” by the White House. Recently published Pentagon studies show that the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait has tilted solidly in China’s favor and that Taiwan’s...

Taiwan's high hopes to get advanced weapons to boost its defense capabilities, the United States remains undecided over whether or not to sell F-16 C/D fighters to Taiwan, Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu said Monday. "The purchase of the high performance jet fighters is a politically sensitive issue due to the U.S.' efforts to maintain a strong presence in the Pacific and to its political difficulties with Beijing, " Kao said when answering questions from Legislator Lin Yu-fang at a legislative hearing. Lin's question came after William A. Stanton, director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT),...

Defense Ministry to review French-built fighter jets 2010/10/18 20:18:36 Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) National Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu said Monday that he will ask for an overall review of the country's French-made Mirage fighter jets after a lawmaker pointed out that the flight hours of the fighters have been reduced due to concern about a possible engine problem. Legislator Lin Yu-fang of the ruling Kuomintang told a legislative committee that during maintenance operations in May 2009, the engine rotors were found to have cracks, resulting in reduced flying hours. In May this year, a Mirage fighter jet belonging to the...

Deputy defense minister Andrew Yang says Taiwan is interested in buying F-35 fighter jets in the future. Those jets are more advanced than the F-16C/Ds which Taiwan has requested to purchase from the United States. Yang's comments came in an interview with the Washington Times, which was published on Thursday. Yang said that right now Taiwan has about 90 F-5s but the aging fleet is urgently in need of replacement. Yang also said Taiwan needs newer models of the F-16A/B fighter jets that it currently owns. He said that's to cope with growing missile and aircraft threats from China. Yang...

Taiwan is allocating money for possible U.S. help to ugrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, a military spokesman said Wednesday, two days after a senior Taiwanese official warned that China's threat against the island is growing. Any American decision to improve Taiwan's defensive capabilities would almost certainly anger China, which considers the island part of its territory and opposes U.S. arms sales as interference in its domestic affairs. The comments from air force spokesman Pan Kung-hsiao came amid Taiwanese media reports that the Obama administration has agreed to upgrade the island's fleet of American-made 146 F-16A/Bs, which it received...