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LOCKHEED MARTIN WINS CONTRACT TO UPGRADE ROC'S F-16 COMPUTER FUNCTIONS

Jul 03, 2002 11:54 UTC+0800

Washington, July 2 (CNA) Texas-based Lockheed Martin Co. has won a contract to upgrade the mission-mode functions of computers to be installed in Taiwan's U.S.-made F-16 jet fighters, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

A Pentagon spokesman said the contract worth US$5.32 million was struck in May this year. A Lockheed Martin subsidiary specializing in producing aviation equipment will be responsible for upgrading the mission-mode computer functions for Taiwan's F-16s, the spokesman said, adding that the upgraded computers are scheduled to be delivered in August 2003.

Meanwhile, the spokesman refrained from making any comments on media reports that mainland China has successfully test-fired a new air-to-air missile and has begun using Israeli-made unmanned Harpy airplanes targeted at Taiwan.

The Washington Times reported recently that mainland China's air force successfully test-fired Russian-made AA-12 medium-range air-to-air missiles last week and that it has begun using Harpy unmanned planes.

Noting that the Department of Defense has never commented on intelligence issues, the spokesman said he could neither confirm nor deny the report by the Washington Times.

Against this backdrop, the spokesman added, he also could not respond to questions about whether the United States is ready to deliver the AIM-120 air-to-air missiles which it agreed to sell to Taiwan on the condition that they be stored in the United States and only delivered when the mainland acquired a weapon system of similar capability, such as the AA-12.

The United States imposed the restriction mainly to avoid criticism that it was triggering an arms race in the Taiwan Strait region by transferring the sophisticated missiles.

Both AA-12 and AIM-120 fall into the same category of active radar-homing and fire-and-forget missiles.

At the moment, the Pentagon spokesman said, there are no signs indicating that the United States will change its current policy of keeping Taiwan's military preparedness in direct proportion to the perceived threat from Beijing.

To the best of his understanding, the spokesman said, production of the 200 AIM-120 missiles ordered by Taiwan has not yet been completed.

(By Sofia Wu)