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PRESIDENT CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE IN ARMS PRODUCTION ABILITY

ROC Central News Agency

2007-03-27 21:09:17

    Taipei, March 27 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday that the results of the indigenous defense fighter (IDF) upgrade program operated by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) has proved that Taiwan is capable of developing and making weapons on its own.

    Taiwan should continue efforts to seek independence in terms of weapons production, Chen said in an address at a ceremony he presided over at the AIDC factory in the central county of Taichung to mark the debut of two upgraded IDFs, named Imposing Eagle.

    According to Chen, the IDF program has filled a vacuum in the air force's counterattack power. In this regard, he added, the project has plays a significant role in efforts to ensure the safety of the country.

    Chen noted that the IDF upgrade program was started in 1999 before he became president, but all the concerned budgets and operational plans were worked out during his administration. He stressed the necessity of the continuity of government administration while calling for the Legislative Yuan's passage of long-proposed budgets for three military arms procurement projects from the United States.

    The locally developed and manufactured IDFs have been in service for more than 10 years and the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has budgeted NT$7 billion for a mid-life upgrade for the planes.

    As part of the upgrade, the fighter has been fitted with additional fuel tanks to increase its range and airtime, while its avionics have also been upgraded through the installation of a new flight control computer system, according to defense officials.

    The plane's structure has also been strengthened to enhance its weapon-carrying capacity, with the number of Tienchien II air-to-air missiles it can carry rising from two to four.

    In the early stage of the upgrade program, one single-seat IDF and one twin-seater were upgraded and the air force will conduct an evaluation into the upgrade results before deciding how many other IDFs will be upgraded.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)

ENDITEM/J