Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Mr T

Mr T

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The Obama administration has notified Congress that it has decided to sell weapons to Taiwan, senior congressional aides said Monday — a move expected to worsen already tense ties between China and the United States.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province and will vehemently object to the arms package, which is likely to include UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and material related to Taiwan's defense communications network.

The aides said the administration has been consulting with Congress about Taiwan's defense needs ahead of a formal announcement of the sale. Meetings began last week and are continuing this week.
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Mr T

Mr T

Senior Member
Aero_Wing_32 said:
This deal always appears to be "pending", "closed to", etc.
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This time it should be different. Unless all the media reports are wrong (i.e. the journalists have lied or they were lied to by officials who should know), Obama has sent the notifications about the sales to Congress. It's just that before they are made public there has to be a private/informal notification made to Congress.

This process lasts no more than 30 days (or 15 days, I forget which) and can be waived by the relevant Congressional committee(s). It was made sometime last week so the public notifications can't be more than 3 weeks away.
 
Mr T

Mr T

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The U.S. appears unwilling to stop selling arms to Taiwan despite aggressive lobbying and pressure from China. Sources in Taipei and Washington have confirmed the United States is preparing the release of U.S. congressional notifications for new arms on hold since the Bush administration.

New notifications are expected soon, said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the Washington-based U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. These include 60 UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters, a submarine design study, phase two of the C4I/Link 16 "Po Sheng" program, two Osprey-class mine-hunter patrol boats, and additional Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems. Taiwan is facing about 1,400 short-range ballistic missiles from China and plans to deploy the new PAC-3s in the central and southern regions of Taiwan.

On submarines, Taiwan has been awaiting the release of congressional notifications since the Bush administration approved the sale of eight diesel submarines in 2001. A U.S. government source said they most likely would be smaller than conventional diesel attack submarines currently being deployed by China and other regional navies. Taiwan does not need deep submersibles due to the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Taiwan has an urgent need for new utility helicopters to replace ageing UH-1H "Huey" helicopters procured during the 1980s. The requirement was highlighted during the recent Typhoon Morakot that killed more than 500 people in southern Taiwan in August.

Taiwan's Air Force also received a briefing from the U.S. Air Force on the General Atomics MQ-1C Sky Warrior tactical UAV in 2009. The Sky Warrior is an upgraded unarmed variant of the Predator. Taiwan's Air Force has a requirement for tactical UAVs to monitor sea lanes, coastal areas, disaster areas and conduct battlefield reconnaissance.

"USAF briefed on UAVs based upon Taiwan Air Force interest in building better ISR capabilities. They are in the info-gathering mode so nothing significant yet," said a U.S. government official.

Military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has developed a variety of UAVs, but has been unable to fulfill an Air Force requirement for an advanced, extended-range, multipurpose UAV. However, the Army is considering the procurement of CSIST's Chung Shyang......
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Mr T

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Included in the Obama administration's latest arms package for Taiwan will be authorization for a joint U.S.-Taiwan feasibility study on bolstering air power against the threats to the island posed by Chinese missiles and aircraft, according to U.S. officials.

The administration put off actual sales of newer F-16s, but if the study, which will be conducted rapidly, determines that the jets are needed, they will be authorized in the coming months, said officials familiar with the arms deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The current package, worth several billion dollars, augments an earlier arms offer worth $6.5 billion that was announced in October 2008.

The latest arms package includes 60 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, air defense communications equipment and additional Patriot PAC-3 missile defenses, according to congressional and administration officials who said an announcement on the package is imminent.

Support for helping the Taiwanese military to build eight diesel electric submarines is not included in the package, the officials said. The Pentagon considered authorizing the submarine feasibility study to examine whether they should be built in Taiwan or bought from a foreign supplier in Europe. The submarines could cost as much as $4 billion.

A Taiwan defense official has said the Black Hawks were a more urgent need than the 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters approved in 2008, since the Black Hawks can be used for military and humanitarian operations.
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Interesting. There's some confusion as to what's in the package. But more importantly if there such a study will take place, will it just be a front to help justify new F-16 sales to Taiwan?
 
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adeptitus

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114 Patriot missiles ($2.81bn)
60 Black Hawk helicopters ($3.1bn)
Communication equipment ($340m)
2 Osprey mine-hunting ships ($105m)
12 Harpoon missiles ($37m)
Source: Defense Security Co-operation Agency

OK, I understand that it's realistic for Taiwan to spend the $ on R&D for every advanced weapon system. But back when ROCA wanted UH-1H helicopters, they negotiated with the US to have AIDC license build 118 of them.

The Japanese would do the same with Mitsubishi SH-60, and the Koreans had KAL-ASD license build black hawk helicopters. So why not Taiwan?

$105 million for 2 Osprey mine-hunting ships, but nobody mentions that they're used and ~15 years old. These are 900 ton mine hunting patrol boats, not big warships. If Taiwan is capable of build OH Perry class warships, why not 900 ton mine hunters?

$2.8 billion for Patriot missiles. Where's CIST's Sky Bow 3?
 
Mr T

Mr T

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adeptitus said:
So why not Taiwan?
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Dunno, send an e-mail to the State Department. ;)

$105 million for 2 Osprey mine-hunting ships, but nobody mentions that they're used and ~15 years old. These are 900 ton mine hunting patrol boats, not big warships. If Taiwan is capable of build OH Perry class warships, why not 900 ton mine hunters?
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It's not about making hulls, it's what goes inside that counts. And they're being refurbished.

$2.8 billion for Patriot missiles. Where's CIST's Sky Bow 3?
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Sky Bow III is supposed to support the Patriot, not replace it.
 
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