Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter Gollevainen
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Mr T
Senior Member
I don't remember the US suspending any arms sales to South Korea because of its contacts with the North.
Given Washington has kept pushing for the development of China-Taiwan ties I don't see why it would now be worried about exactly what it wanted happening. If, however, there is a reduction of future sales it would have happened whether or not such contacts were planned.
They don't have to. All they have to say is that they don't want to export long-range missile technology. HF-2E is 600 - 1,000 km range.
Under the MTCR guidelines, any missile technology (hardware and software) with capabilities exceeding 300 km range and 500 kg payload falls under category I and category II restrictions. Then there's ICOC treaty.
Balance of power is a lesser consideration to restricting ballistic missile technology. It's about as oxymoron as established nuclear powers telling everyone else that they can't have nukes. Life is not fair and, nations have never been equal when the more powerful hold influence over lesser states.
Anyways, back to Taiwan's situation.
It seems that the ROC military is obsessed over big ticket items. How about spending some $$ on the army instead? A real periscope for the Cloud Leopard driver/gunner? Remote-controlled weapon stations? M-60 MBT upgrades? Better vehicle-mounted ATGM's?
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Mr T
Senior Member
Actually the 1,000 km ranged version has been canned/shelved.
Also if US technology is required to make them work, the prototypes would never have been completed. So the fact they were produced suggests that the US didn't originally have a problem with it. The question is whether they have done an about face or are putting off a sale until later.
Not obsessed, more like trying to get stuff that might not be on offer later.
Like $2.5 billion worth of Apaches (probably followed by Black Hawks)? More Javelins?
Now that most of the big-ticket sales have gone through it is likely other orders will be placed in the following years. But a lot of stuff you mentioned is not high-priority, so the money may go elsewhere.
Aero_Wing_32
Junior Member
Mr T, It s said that many countries would be interested in F-35 planes... but will these countries be able to afford these? This year the cost of Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter, already the most expensive weapons program ever, has been projected to increase as dozen of billions and would cost about 140 millions USD for each plane.
This fighter jet just enters its most challenging phase, including all the test flights, completing the software, finishing/modifying design of the actual three F-35 models and refining manufacturing processes at Lockheed and its subcontractors. And the RAAF is now planning to receive its first Joint Strike Fighters from 2013-14, with the first squadron operational from 2015-16. Even aussies expressed implicit concerns about the status of the Joint Strike Fighter project. So, I wouldn t bet my car on a taiwanese purchase of F-35 fighter jets...
This fighter jet just enters its most challenging phase, including all the test flights, completing the software, finishing/modifying design of the actual three F-35 models and refining manufacturing processes at Lockheed and its subcontractors. And the RAAF is now planning to receive its first Joint Strike Fighters from 2013-14, with the first squadron operational from 2015-16. Even aussies expressed implicit concerns about the status of the Joint Strike Fighter project. So, I wouldn t bet my car on a taiwanese purchase of F-35 fighter jets...
"Balanced" is just a relative term, can't really expect real balance between Taiwan strait, never was any balance and tbh. never will be, nobody is taking the word for it.
For now quality wise except for submarin fleet it's more or less balanced between Mainland and Taiwan, quantity wise there is nothing Taiwan can do about. Problem for Taiwan is in 10years or so, this quality balance also will likely tip greatly in favour to Mainland China, it's unlikely that any EU nation will want antagonize China with a major arms sale to Taiwan, so US would likely to still be the only source of military equipment Taiwan hvae in the forseeable future, so let's count what US have on Air force first, F16, F18, F35, F15, F22, unlikely for US to sell F15 longrange strike eagle to Taiwan since they seems to want to keep the arms sale to none offensive weapons as we have seen in the past, F22 is out of question for the same and alot more other reasons
, that leaves F16, F18 and F35, the F16 is the most likely one, as Taiwan already have the MLU variant, logisticly also easier, F18 is also a good choice since Taiwan is a Island, twin engine plane and relative shorter take off is wanted, F35 is more of a strike plane than air superiority fighter, but the platform is more stealthy and there is Vertical takeoff variant, comes in handy when all the airfield and even the highway in Taiwan is heavily bombed, but I doubt F35 is availible for taiwan anytime soon even if US approves the sale, there is a long cue of JSF project participating nation that is waiting for this plane, proberly availible after 2025, no sooner, when Taiwan really gets it approved and produced and get it combat ready it will be almost 2030, so before that Taiwan will be stuck with 3rd gen fighter, F16 or F18, with upgrades of course, but with Mainland China coming J-12 or whatever it will be named, as early as 2015 Taiwan need to face a Generation gap in AF.
For now quality wise except for submarin fleet it's more or less balanced between Mainland and Taiwan, quantity wise there is nothing Taiwan can do about. Problem for Taiwan is in 10years or so, this quality balance also will likely tip greatly in favour to Mainland China, it's unlikely that any EU nation will want antagonize China with a major arms sale to Taiwan, so US would likely to still be the only source of military equipment Taiwan hvae in the forseeable future, so let's count what US have on Air force first, F16, F18, F35, F15, F22, unlikely for US to sell F15 longrange strike eagle to Taiwan since they seems to want to keep the arms sale to none offensive weapons as we have seen in the past, F22 is out of question for the same and alot more other reasons
, that leaves F16, F18 and F35, the F16 is the most likely one, as Taiwan already have the MLU variant, logisticly also easier, F18 is also a good choice since Taiwan is a Island, twin engine plane and relative shorter take off is wanted, F35 is more of a strike plane than air superiority fighter, but the platform is more stealthy and there is Vertical takeoff variant, comes in handy when all the airfield and even the highway in Taiwan is heavily bombed, but I doubt F35 is availible for taiwan anytime soon even if US approves the sale, there is a long cue of JSF project participating nation that is waiting for this plane, proberly availible after 2025, no sooner, when Taiwan really gets it approved and produced and get it combat ready it will be almost 2030, so before that Taiwan will be stuck with 3rd gen fighter, F16 or F18, with upgrades of course, but with Mainland China coming J-12 or whatever it will be named, as early as 2015 Taiwan need to face a Generation gap in AF.
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Mr T
Senior Member
Some estimates have put the costs as high as that, but I doubt it will get that high. If it did the whole project would fail down to affordability.
But, hey, if that really happened then Japan could have a pure Typhoon fleet - that would really worry China.
Where did I mention Taiwan getting the F-35? It may do, but I specifically said the big question is whether it will be able to cope with China's next generation of planes.
Typhoon ain't cheap either, it's a superb aircraft, but comes down to it, it's no F22, most important of all, consider how many F15j Japan have currently, even if all are replaced by EF2k, the number is still limited compared to Chinese AF advanced jet when/if Typhoon enter service within Japanese selfdefence AF, unless the F15J will be remaining in service at same time, anyway, is EF2K's combat range enough to reach anywhere in China or Taiwan strait even from Okinawa?
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Aero_Wing_32
Junior Member
For many reasons, Eurofighter Typhoon is becoming a really costly fighter jet too (perhaps too many foreign partners and suppliers in this project that made the cost to rise?!). However, It offers great capabilities in Air-air combats, but not that much in Air to ground ones. All in all, purchasing either the Rafale (more advanced multirole jet) or the Typhoon remains the best compromise for the ROCAF. :coffee:
FriedRiceNSpice
Captain
Totally irrelevant... the US has a relationship with China that some have even called, "strategic partnership," or at the very least both are economically and strategically dependent on the other. On the other hand, the US has no economic exchange with North Korea short of US aid, and the US has labeled North Korea as a terrorist state- part of the, "axis of evil."
From an airframe and design standpoint the Typhoon does not have much over the J-10. Once stealth features, a better engine, and most importantly a more impotent electronics suite (three main features that put the EF in a different league from the J-10) is added to the next-generation J-10, the qualitative gap will be much narrower. Even with such upgrades, the J-10 will most likely still cost less than half the $110 million unit cost of the Eurofighter. Most importantly, China has the ability of local manufacturing while Japan has to rely on waiting for arms deals- meaning delays and the inability to procure as much as they would like to.