Taiwan to receive 12 anti-sub aircraft by June 2015: military
ROC Central News Agency
2013/03/27 14:50:53
Taipei, March 27 (CNA) Taiwan will take delivery of 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft from the United States by mid-June 2015, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Hsu Pei-shan said Wednesday.
Hsu made the confirmation at a hearing of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee in answer to a question from Legislator Ma Wen-chun of the ruling Kuomintang about the arms deal.
Ma asked why the timeline is not based on the planned schedule, under which delivery of the first five of the 12 aircraft was set to be taken in 2012, followed by two others in 2013, four more in 2014 and the last one in 2015.
The lawmaker expressed concern that the delay will lead the U.S. to ratchet up the cost.
Hsu explained that the new schedule was drawn up because the P-3C hangar has been relocated from Taoyuan in northern Taiwan to Pingtung in the south, which confirmed media reports that the delay has been caused by the relocation of the hangar.
The P-3C, the most capable Orion version, has advanced submarine detection capability.
In 2007, the U.S. government approved the sale of the aircraft, along with its T-56 turboprop engines and other associated equipment and services, at an estimated cost of US$1.96 billion.
(By Rogge Chen and Elizabeth Hsu)
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