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Defense ministry denies report that F-16 C/D deal dead

ROC Central News Agency

2011/08/15 22:10:44

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has not received any message from the United States that it will not sell Taiwan advanced F-16C/D jet fighters, MND spokesman Lo Shao-ho said Monday, denying a report that said the sale will not be made.

In an article published Aug. 14, U.S.-based weekly journal "Defense News" reported that a U.S. Department of Defense delegation arrived in Taiwan last week to deliver the message that it will deny Taiwan's request for 66 new F-16C/D fighter aircraft.

The report said the U.S. would instead offer a retrofit package for older F-16 A/Bs that includes an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

Asked about the report, Lo refused to comment directly but said the MND had not received any messages related to the deal.

Lo reiterated Taiwan's firm desire to purchase F-16 C/Ds and said the ministry would continue efforts through every possible channel to ask the U.S. to pay attention to the imbalance of military power in the Taiwan Strait.

He urged Washington to sell the advanced jet fighters to Taiwan as soon as possible and help the island replace its aging F-5 fighter fleet and improve its air defense capabilities to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, Christoper Kavanagh, the spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. Embassy, told CNA that "no decision has been made" on the potential arms sale.

He also said that he could not confirm whether Washington had sent someone here last week, because "there are frequent visits from the U.S."

The Defense News report said that the proposed upgrade package would make the 146 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs among the most capable variants of the aircraft, perhaps second only to the APG-80 AESA-equipped F-16E/Fs flown by the United Arab Emirates.

It also said the denial of the new jets will likely lead Taiwan's state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. to ask the government to expand upgrade plans for the country's 126 Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), of which 71 are currently slated for upgrades.

"The company has also been pushing Taiwan's Air Force to allocate funds for full-rate production of the IDF C/D Goshawk, which features improved range and weapons payload," the report said. (By Lo Chu-tung and Elizabeth Hsu) enditem/ls