New York, April 1 (CNA) "Taiwan needs a significant infusion of new weapons, including a sophisticated ship-borne radar system for Aegis-class Destroyers", the New York Times quoted a U.S. naval confidential review as reporting Sunday.
The review was an assessment report made by U.S. Pacific Fleet officers who had visited Taiwan to assess its naval requirements in light of Beijing's military buildup, the paper said.
The review pointed out that in addition to procuring the Aegis class destroyer's sophisticated radar system by 2010, Taiwan also needs Kidd-class destroyers as a "stopgap." The review also concluded that Taiwan needs new submarines as well as an underwater sonar array to detect Chinese submarines.
Taiwan has also been in discussions on the new Patriot anti-missile system known as PAC-3, and similar studies have been carried out concerning other parts of Taiwan's military, the Times reported.
The U.S. Naval Officers believe that the year 2010 will be important because it will take at least eight years or "more to agree on a configuration of the Aegis radar system for Taiwan's navy, build the ship and integrate it into Taiwan's naval fleet," the report added.
"Experts familiar with the officers' review say it concludes that by 2010 Taiwan will need vessels equipped with long-range surface-to-air missiles, a sophisticated battle management system and a phased-array radar, which is the hallmark of the Aegis system," the Times reported. (By Jennifer Huang & Ed Chen)
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