US TENTATIVELY AGREES TO SELL AIM-120 MISSILES TO ROC
Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) The United States has tentatively agreed to sell AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to the Republic of China, the Air Force General Headquarters (AFGH) announced on Tuesday.
Shen Yuan-tai, deputy chief executive of the AFGH's Weaponry Acquisition Office, told a routine news conference at the Ministry of National Defense (MND) that the United States has agreed to integrate the software of AIM-120 missiles into the firing control system of the ROC's F-16 jet fighters.
"The move indicates that we have obtained `admission tickets' to enter the realm of the sophisticated missile system," Shen explained, adding that the ROC Air Force expects to acquire the new missiles in the near future.
The radar-guided active missile is 3.65 meters long, with a diameter of 1,078 mm. It weighs 157 kilograms, has a range of 50 kilometers, and is installed mainly on the US-made F-16 fighter.
Shen's remarks came amid reports that Russia will sell modified R-77 missiles -- under the export name of RVV-AE -- to mainland China within the next year.
According to the US Defense News, the R-77, and its export variant the RVV-AE, are more sophisticated missiles in the AIM-120 class. The use of an active-radar seeker, rather than a semi-active radar seeker, allows the launch aircraft to engage more than one target at a time.
The defense weekly also said the ROC Air Force has two active, medium-range air-to-air missiles -- the French-made MICA and the Taiwan-developed Sky Sword II. Neither, however, are integrated for use on the 150 F-16s purchased by Taiwan from the United States.
Meanwhile, the Defense News quoted Russian sources as saying that Russia and mainland China have not yet signed a formal contract on the RVV-AE deal. The report also made no mention of the number of RVV-AEs that mainland China plans to purchase, saying only that the RVV-AE deal may be part of mainland China's SU-30 MKK Russian-made jet fighter procurement plan.
Commenting on the reports, a senior MND intelligence officer noted that the ROC military has always closely monitored mainland China's missile development and deployment plans. (By Sofia Wu)
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