Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Missed this in June. ? special ops, new VIP choppers?
Whats happening with the big contract for 60 blackhawks?

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded a $48,607,275 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of four “green” Black Hawk helicopters and government-furnished equipment to contractor-furnished equipment in support of Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan. Work will be performed in Startford, Conn., with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0003).

RIP. 3 pilots dead.

Taiwan crash sparks calls for US jets sale

By Benjamin Yeh (AFP) - 2011/09/14

TAIPEI — The crash of two Vietnam War-era jets in Taiwan that killed three sparked calls Wednesday for the US to sell the island new planes and save its pilots from "risking their lives" in old aircraft.

The pleas from officials and lawmakers for advanced aircraft to defend the exposed island from its giant neighbour China came as rescuers located the wreckage of the crashed jets in eastern Taiwan. All three pilots were killed.

"Flying such an aircraft is like asking a 90-year-old man to do 100 push-ups", said Lin Yu-fang, a member of the parliamentary defence committee.

The entire F-5 fleet, around 60 jets which analysts say lack both global positioning systems and advanced aviation guidance systems, has now been grounded pending an investigation.

The RF-5 surveillance aircraft and a twin-seat F-5F trainer vanished from radar screens at 7:52 pm (1152 GMT) Tuesday, 13 minutes after they took off on a training mission from an airbase near Hualien, the defence ministry said.

The military confirmed Wednesday that rescuers had discovered debris and body parts where the two jets had apparently crashed into the side of a mountain.

Military officers said the incident highlighted Taiwan's need to purchase new fighters to replace its decades-old, US-built F-5 fleet.

"All the F-5s have been grounded for a thorough safety check as investigation is under way. As of now, it is still not clear if the accident was the result of mechanical failure, weather or human error," defence ministry spokesman David Lo told AFP.

"This type of jet has served the air force for more than 35 years... We really don't want our pilots to fly them risking their lives."

Two air force pilots were killed in the last crash when an F-5F ploughed into the middle of the Taiwan Strait in 2009.

The backbone of Taiwan's air force also consists of 126 Indigenous Defence Fighters, 146 US-made F-16 A/Bs and 56 French-made Mirage 2000-5s.

Taipei applied in 2007 to buy 66 F-16 C/D fighters, which have better radars and more powerful weapon systems than the F-16 A/Bs, in response to China's growing military muscle, but Washington has yet to agree the sale.

"We hope the United States will sell the F-16 C/Ds as soon as possible," Lo said.

US magazine Defense News reported recently that Washington had told Taiwan it will not sell the jets, but both US and Taiwan officials have insisted no final decision has been made, despite strong Chinese resistance to the sales.

Washington recognises Beijing rather than Taipei but remains a leading arms supplier to the island.

Taipei has defended the proposed arms deal as Beijing's rapid military modernisation plans have tipped the military balance in favour of the People's Liberation Army.

"It will also help maintain the balance between the two sides as Taiwan needs to have sufficient defence to have the confidence to negotiate with China," said Shuai Hua-ming of the ruling Kuomintang party.

Ties between China and Taiwan have improved since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 on promises of ramping up trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists.

But Beijing has refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan even though the island has ruled itself for more than six decades since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.

The newest Taiwanese F-5 was built in 1985. They are very old planes indeed. RIP to the pilots.

1985 is not Vietnam War era. And to say that the island has ruled itself for more than six decades is disingenuous. The article is pretty tendentious.

No. It just calls a cat a cat. And that s what was said in the mouth of taiwanese officials.

You also have the right to respect the lifes of pilots fallen in this tragic training. Your shortened comment is pretty soulless...

delft said:

1985 is not Vietnam War era. And to say that the island has ruled itself for more than six decades is disingenuous. The article is pretty tendentious.

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^^ What I said was that the last F-5 produced by Taiwan was made in 85. Most of the F-5s are no doubt earlier than that and I wouldn't be surprised that at least half were made during the Vietnam War period.

IIRC AIDC only started making the F5 in '73 and first delivery in late 74, nearly all, if not all E/Fs were made in Taiwan.

Night flight is dangerous without aid like GPS or NVG, and according to reports the F-5 have neither. It's a great lost, especially the pilots were experienced, as they're heavy investments in any sense of the word.

By far the F-5 series is at the last light of its service lifespan, already obsolete even when F-CK-1 was introduced, as a hindsight Taiwan should've expend the F-CK-1 production then to cover the quota that'd be left vacant should and when F-5E/F are phased out of the battle order.

MwRYum said:

Night flight is dangerous without aid like GPS or NVG, and according to reports the F-5 have neither. It's a great lost, especially the pilots were experienced, as they're heavy investments in any sense of the word.

By far the F-5 series is at the last light of its service lifespan, already obsolete even when F-CK-1 was introduced, as a hindsight Taiwan should've expend the F-CK-1 production then to cover the quota that'd be left vacant should and when F-5E/F are phased out of the battle order.

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The original F-CK1 order was 260 but the original order was cut in half to 130....

Semi-Lobster said:

The original F-CK1 order was 260 but the original order was cut in half to 130....

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It's easy to call the planners were fools, but to be fair, back then nobody could foresee China's rise to a degree that even the US have to weight the merits of using its "Taiwan deck" in its poker game with China now; back then most in Taiwan would incline to believe US channel is reliable and timely, China's protest were nothing more than lip service that would deter no one from selling stuff to Taiwan, and F-CK-1 have served its purpose of bargain chip with the US...as the result, the subsequent cutback on the order and then the organization is just too short-sighted - those professionals are difficult to train and to replace, not to mention a large group of them now serving the S.Korea's effort on the T-50 Golden Eagle programme.