Taiwan reviewing U.S. proposal for F-16 A/Bs upgrade

ROC Central News Agency

2012/06/25 20:01:14

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Taiwan is reviewing a proposal submitted by the United States for the retrofit of Taiwan's F-16 A/B jet fighters, military officials said Monday.

The Ministry of National Defense is looking at the proposal to determine whether the listed military equipment and the prices are in line with Taiwan's warfare needs, ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he said in a statement.

Taiwan and the U.S. will sign a deal on the retrofit package after the ministry completes its review, the Air Force said.

Included in the retrofit of Taiwan's 145 A/B fighters is the installation of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which costs US$600 million, military officials said.

Some of that money will go toward research and development expenses, as the AESA radar on the F-16A/B fleet is a new initiative, the officials said.

Other items on the list include AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, the officials added.

In early May, Taiwan received a letter from the U.S. offering the retrofit program at the cost of US$3.8 billion, roughly the same as the budget approved by Taiwan's Cabinet.

The letter came after the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama decided last September to offer Taiwan a retrofit package for its aging F-16 A/B fleet.

(By Elaine Hou)
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