AIR FORCE TO FEEL THE PINCH IF CHINA BUYS MIRAGE 2000-9CSs: OFFICIAL
ROC Central News Agency
2005-04-11 17:22:16
Taipei, April 11 (CNA) The ROC Air Force will feel the pinch if China acquires French-made Mirage 2000-9CS jet fighters, the chief of staff at the ROC Air Force General Headquarters said Monday.
Lt. Gen. Peng Sheng-chu made the remarks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's defense committee, where opposition People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang asked Peng about his views on a media report that said that once the European Union lifts its 16-year-old ban on arms sales to China, China will purchase 210 Mirage 2000-9CSs from France.
As Mirage 2000-9CSs are newer than the Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters that Taiwan acquired in the 1990s, Peng said the Mirage 2000-9CSs are believed to outperform the Mirage 2000-5s in combat capabilities and range.
If China does obtain Mirage 2000-9CSs, Peng admitted that the ROC Air Force will face great pressure.
Taiwan purchased 60 Mirage 2000-5s and two of them have crashed in training flights.
With a view to upgrading air defense capabilities, Peng said, the military has considered procuring a new generation of warplanes after acquiring 150 U.S.-built F-16 jet fighters and 60 Mirage 2000-5s in the 1990s.
Noting that new warplane procurement requires a careful evaluation of a number of complicated elements, Peng said the military is still collecting information and data about the procurement plan. "We are mulling whether to buy U.S.-made F35s or F-18s or to upgrade our F-16 fleet now in service, " Peng said, adding that the military must also consider whether the United States would sell its most advanced warplanes to Taiwan.
(By Sofia Wu)
enditem/mw
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