20110607 US might approve F-16 jet upgrade, report says

US might approve F-16 jet upgrade, report says

UP IN ARMS: The report was in the latest issue of ‘Defense News,’ which also ran an editorial saying the US needed to move ahead with the sale of F-16C/D planes to Taiwan

Staff Writer, with CNA

An F-16A/B jet flies over the Hualien Air Force Base on May 25.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

The US might allow its military contractors to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16A/B aircraft later this year or next year, a report in the latest issue of Defense News said.

Citing analysts and pro-Taiwan lobbyists, the report said the administration of US President Barack Obama was expected to approve the F-16A/B upgrade package as part of a strategy to reduce pressure from the US Congress to sell Taiwan more advanced F-16C/Ds.

The upgrade would bring Taiwan’s F-16s to a standard broadly comparable to the F-16AM/BM flown by air forces in Europe, which began life as F-16A/Bs, the report said.

For a decade, Taipei has been requesting F-16C/Ds from the US to upgrade its aging air force.

It remained unclear whether upgrading the F16A/Bs would impact Taipei’s chances of eventually acquiring the 66 F-16C/Ds it has requested, since Beijing has been clear that it would consider an F-16C/D deal a “red line” that the US should not cross.

In a rare demonstration of bipartisanship, the co-chairs of the US Senate Taiwan Caucus, US Senator Robert Menendez and US Senator James Inhofe late last month published a letter signed by more than 40 of their colleagues urging the Obama administration to approve Taipei’s request to purchase the F-16C/Ds.

Defense News also carried an editorial in its latest issue which said that Washington should sell Taiwan F-16C/Ds to show the US’ resolve to honor its commitment to its allies.

“A critical question America regularly faces from its allies is whether Washington will support them if they are threatened. And when the United States fails to support its allies, the world takes note,” the magazine said.

By furiously opposing the F-16-C/D deal, the editorial said: “China not only wants to weaken Taiwan, but also prompt Washington’s allies in Asia to question whether America will be there for them in times of crisis.”

Moreover, the editorial said if the White House decided to block the sale, an emboldened Beijing might decide tomorrow that it does not want the US selling its wares to other regional allies — Japan, Australia, South Korea and others.

Selling the fighters to Taiwan would be a way to reassure Asia-Pacific governments who have questioned the US’ commitment to the region and remind Beijing that old alliances would not be traded away to appease a bigger trading partner, the magazine added.