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Upgraded F-16 A/Bs to have same
quality as F-16 C/Ds: U.S. official
Washington, Sept. 19 (CNA) A senior U.S. official said
Monday that Taiwan would stand to gain 145 F-16 A/B
fighter jets versus only 66 F-16 C/Ds if Washington
chooses to upgrade Taiwan's F-16 A/B fleet rather than
sell the C/D version.
The State Department official was commenting on a
report by the Washington Times Sept. 16 that the
administration of President Barack Obama has decided
not to sell the more advanced F-16 C/Ds that have been
requested by Taiwan, and instead will offer to upgrade
Taiwan's existing F-16 A/B fleet.
"Assuming the (U.S. government's) decision is to upgrade
the F-16 A/Bs, they will provide essentially the same
quality as new F-16 C/D aircraft at a far cheaper price.
And Taiwan would stand to get 145 A/Bs versus only 66
C/Ds," he said.
The U.S. is profoundly committed to peace and stability
across the Taiwan Strait, and that commitment remains
unwavering, the official said, adding that the scale and
pace of arms sales to Taiwan over the past two and a half
years is unprecedented.
He said weapons sales to Taiwan since 2009 "will be
greater than in the previous four years, and they will be
double the sales that occurred between 2004 and 2008."
He also hinted that the U.S. would not rule out the
possibility of providing the new aircraft to Taiwan in the
future.
"We are obviously prepared to consider further sales in
the future," he said.
In addition, he added, the administration has taken
strong steps to deepen relations with Taiwan in concrete
ways beyond this dossier, including the Visa Waiver
Program, education initiatives, trade and energy
initiatives, and helping Taiwan to have more access to
international bodies like the World Health Organization.
The official said the executive branch is expected to notify
Congress with regard to its decision on the issue by the
end of this week. (Tony Liao & Bear Lee) enditem/ly
Upgraded F-16 A/Bs to have same quality as F-16 C/Ds: U.S. official - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
quality as F-16 C/Ds: U.S. official
Washington, Sept. 19 (CNA) A senior U.S. official said
Monday that Taiwan would stand to gain 145 F-16 A/B
fighter jets versus only 66 F-16 C/Ds if Washington
chooses to upgrade Taiwan's F-16 A/B fleet rather than
sell the C/D version.
The State Department official was commenting on a
report by the Washington Times Sept. 16 that the
administration of President Barack Obama has decided
not to sell the more advanced F-16 C/Ds that have been
requested by Taiwan, and instead will offer to upgrade
Taiwan's existing F-16 A/B fleet.
"Assuming the (U.S. government's) decision is to upgrade
the F-16 A/Bs, they will provide essentially the same
quality as new F-16 C/D aircraft at a far cheaper price.
And Taiwan would stand to get 145 A/Bs versus only 66
C/Ds," he said.
The U.S. is profoundly committed to peace and stability
across the Taiwan Strait, and that commitment remains
unwavering, the official said, adding that the scale and
pace of arms sales to Taiwan over the past two and a half
years is unprecedented.
He said weapons sales to Taiwan since 2009 "will be
greater than in the previous four years, and they will be
double the sales that occurred between 2004 and 2008."
He also hinted that the U.S. would not rule out the
possibility of providing the new aircraft to Taiwan in the
future.
"We are obviously prepared to consider further sales in
the future," he said.
In addition, he added, the administration has taken
strong steps to deepen relations with Taiwan in concrete
ways beyond this dossier, including the Visa Waiver
Program, education initiatives, trade and energy
initiatives, and helping Taiwan to have more access to
international bodies like the World Health Organization.
The official said the executive branch is expected to notify
Congress with regard to its decision on the issue by the
end of this week. (Tony Liao & Bear Lee) enditem/ly
Upgraded F-16 A/Bs to have same quality as F-16 C/Ds: U.S. official - CNA ENGLISH NEWS
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