Military Procurement International Vol. 19, No. 7, April 1, 2009
Copyright DAPSS S.A., 200
9, Switzerland. It is unlawful to reproduce any of this publication without written permission from the publisher.
TAIWAN
Seeking
F-16C/Ds and Black Hawks
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) said on March 16 that Taiwan’s current fighter force is inadequate to counter a potential threat from China. A TECRO spokesman said that one of the largest parts of the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF), its 58 Northrop F-5E/Fs, has been in service for more than 34 years.
Taiwan wants 66 Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, valued at some US$4.9 billion, to replace the F-5s and supplement the 150 F-16A/Bs acquired by the RoCAF in 1992.
Furthermore, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence (MND) has earmarked US$230 million from this year’s budget for the purchase of 60 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters, to replace the RoC Army’s ageing fleet of 79 Bell Helicopter UH-1H Hueys.