• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

President respects MND's plan to go through with Blackhawk purchase

ROC Central News Agency

2009/08/31 16:39:09

By Deborah Kuo

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou fully understands and respects the Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) decision to stick to its plan to procure 60 U.S.-built Blackhawk helicopters, MND spokesman Yu Sy-tue said Monday.

The president expressed his understanding of the MND plan after hearing several high-ranking military officials defend the need for the purchase based on military considerations, Yu said.

Ma instructed the MND to consult with the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) further on the allocation and use of the high-efficiency helicopters after they are acquired from the United States, Yu added.

The MND announced Sunday that it will go through with the procurement of 60 Blackhawk helicopeters, with 15 of them to be allocated to the MOI to beef up Taiwan's disaster relief capabilities.

The MND's decision was a departure from Ma's announcement at a news conference Aug. 18 that the military would buy only 45 of the 60 Blackhawks originally ordered from the United States and reallocate the remaining NT$10 billion (NT$303.77 million) of the budget for the Blackhawks to buy disaster relief choppers and related equipment.

The president's announcement came after an aging UH-1H helicopter from the MOI's National Airborne Service Corps crashed into a mountainside near the aboriginal settlement of Sandimen in southern Taiwan's Pingtung County Aug. 11 while on a mission to help victims of Typhoon Morakot.

The three crew members aboard the more than 30-year-old helicopter were killed in the crash.

The tragedy reawakened calls for the government to modernize the country's emergency relief capacity and equipment.

The MND said in its statement that it has decided to stick to the original number of Blackhawks because this will allow it to acquire the new helicopters in the shortest possible time at the cheapest possible price.

"In peacetime, the 15 Blackhawks will mainly be used for rescue or disaster relief missions, but in wartime, they will be called on for combat missions, " said the MND statement.

The UH-60 Blackhawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Stressing that the Blackhawk is a multi-functional utility chopper, the MND said acquisition of the new choppers will help upgrade both the country's disaster relief operations and military logistical support structure.