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Business council
urges F-16C/D sale
PARTIAL COMMITMENT: Because it is likely to take
10 years to upgrade the F-16A/Bs, a shortfall in maintaining the nation¡¦s air
fleet has been created, the council said
Staff Writer, with CNA
The new arms package offered by the US to upgrade Taiwan¡¦s F-16A/B aircraft is
not enough to meet Taiwan¡¦s security needs, the US-Taiwan Business Council said
in a special commentary on Wednesday.
The commentary by US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers
was written in response to a US announcement on Wednesday that it had decided to
offer an upgrade of Taiwan¡¦s F-16A/Bs as part of a US$5.85 billion arms deal for
Taiwan.
The administration of US President Barack Obama said it had not made any
decision on Taiwan¡¦s request to acquire 66 new F-16C/Ds.
Of the total amount to be spent on the arms procurement package, US$5.3 billion
is for the upgrade of the F-16A/Bs, US$500 million for the continuation of a
pilot training program at Luke Air Force Base in the US and US$52 million for
parts for other types of fighter jets.
¡§The Council welcomes the Obama administration¡¦s partial commitment to
supporting Taiwan¡¦s efforts to upgrade and modernize its air power
capabilities,¡¨ Hammond-Chambers wrote.
According to the council¡¦s report, The Balance of Air Power in the Taiwan
Strait, published earlier this year, Taiwan needs to overhaul its F-16A/Bs to
modernize its air force, but renovating existing air fleets is not enough to
defend Taiwan from the military threat posed by China and it would only
contribute to destabilization of the cross-strait military balance and encourage
Chinese adventurism.
Because it is likely to take 10 years to upgrade the existing F-16A/Bs under the
new arms deal, a shortfall in maintaining its air fleet and finding replacements
for costly Mirage 2000-5s and obsolete F-5s has been created, the council said.
¡§However, with effective fighter strength weakened by a combination of
obsolescence of the F-5E/F fleet and low material availability of the Mirage
2000-5 aircraft, Taiwan¡¦s ability to defend its air space against these likely
threat scenarios can be expected to significantly deteriorate over the next few
years,¡¨ the report said.
The council urged the US government to sell Taiwan new fighters to fill the gap,
arguing that it would be much faster for Taiwan to acquire new fighter jets than
to renovate old ones.
¡§The upgrade program is comprehensive, but spans almost 10 years with the first
upgraded [F-16]A/B coming as late as the sixth year of the program,¡¨ the
commentary said. ¡§If the Obama administration were to accept a letter of request
for 66 F-16C/Ds now, the entire tranche of new fighters could be delivered
before Taiwan receives any of its upgraded F-16A/Bs.¡¨
The number of operational F-16 aircraft would be reduced during the upgrade
period, the council said.
The council said the US could have approved the sale of new F-16C/Ds along with
F-16A/Bs, as they are not exclusive of each other and running both programs
simultaneously would prevent degradation of the air force¡¦s fighter capacity.
By approving the two programs, the US could equip Taiwan with enough ammunition
to deter China from aggression or provocation, bringing balance to the
cross-strait military power difference, the council said.
The sale of F-16C/Ds to Taiwan is within US interests and fulfills US
obligations under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with defensive
capabilities, the commentary said.
It would also provide new job opportunities in the US and help boost economic
growth, it said.
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