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Taiwanˇ¦s Air Force needs help: US report
By Richard Hazeldine
STAFF REPORTER
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010, Page 1
ˇ§The unclassified version of this report does have some surprising
conclusions ... it does demonstrate a serious degradation of Taiwanˇ¦s air
force.ˇ¨ˇX Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief of Defense News
A report released yesterday by the US Defense Intelligence Agency that assesses
the overall effectiveness of Taiwanˇ¦s air defenses has reinforced concerns about
the state of Taiwanˇ¦s aging fighter squadrons.
An unclassified version of the report seen by the Taipei Times produces a
damning indictment of the poor state of many of the Air Forceˇ¦s jets, raising
serious doubts about the nationˇ¦s ability to defend itself in the event of a
Chinese attack.
ˇ§Although Taiwan has nearly 400 combat aircraft in service, far fewer of these
are operationally capable,ˇ¨ the report said.
The militaryˇ¦s 60 ˇ§F-5 fighters have reached the end of their operational
service life,ˇ¨ while the effectiveness of its 56 Mirage 2000 jets has been
greatly reduced by high maintenance costs, lack of spare parts and problems with
turbine blades, the report said.
The military magazine Defense News reported in August that the assessment was
produced after supporters of Taiwan on the US Senateˇ¦s Armed Services Committee
inserted a requirement for such a report in the 2010 National Defense
Authorization Act which was passed last July.
At the time, analysts said the purpose of the insertion was to give the US
government a timely reminder that the military balance of air power across the
Taiwan Strait was now firmly in Chinaˇ¦s favor and hopefully prompt it into
action on granting Taiwanˇ¦s long-held request for 66 advanced F-16C/D fighter
jets.
The most recent US$6.4 billion arms sale package to Taiwan announced by US
President Barack Obamaˇ¦s administration last month, however, didnˇ¦t mention the
F-16s.
ˇ§The unclassified version of this report does have some surprising conclusions,
though it does not openly promote the sale of new F-16s to Taiwan, it does
demonstrate a serious degradation of Taiwanˇ¦s air force,ˇ¨ said Wendell Minnick,
Asia bureau chief of Defense News.
ˇ§The other issue of interest, not cited in the report, is that the window of
opportunity for F-16s is closing. As the new F-35 comes on line in the next five
years, the production line of F-16s will begin to close. The US will not allow
the export of the F-35 to Taiwan for a variety of technological and security
reasons,ˇ¨ he said.
ˇ§So if Taiwan wants to get F-16s it needs to push as hard as it can now before
the window of opportunity closes,ˇ¨ he said.
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