(Reuters) - The United States has refused Taiwan's request for 66 new Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter jets which China had warned Washington would risk inflaming tensions between the two big powers, Defense News reported, citing a Taiwan defense official.
Taiwan has repeatedly asked Washington to agree to sell the advanced F-16 fighter jets, citing the need to counter the growing military strength of China, which deems the island a breakaway province that must eventually accept reunification, by force if necessary.
Laura Siebert, Lockheed Martin's spokeswoman for the F-16 program, had no immediate comment on the Defense News report.
Neither Washington nor Taipei has made any formal announcement about the latest call for the fighters.
A State Department official said no decisions have been made on potential arms sales to Taiwan.
Defense News (www.defensenews.com) said on Sunday that Taiwan had been told there would be no sale, citing Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.
"We are so disappointed in the United States," the report quoted an unnamed Taiwan defense official as saying.
"A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) delegation arrived here last week to deliver the news and offer instead a retrofit package for (Taiwan's) older F-16A/Bs," the journal reported from Taipei.
The proposed $4.2 billion upgrade package would make the 146 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs among the most capable variants of the aircraft, the report said.
The new gear would include an AESA radar, likely either Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar or the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar, it said.
Any fresh U.S. arms support to Taiwan is likely to raise hackles in Beijing, but the advanced fighter jets have been an especially touchy point for China, which this week will host U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
The bitter debate in the U.S. Congress over spending and the downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating by Standard & Poor's drew blunt criticism from China's state media, including a commentary that said the U.S. debt woes reflected its military overreach abroad.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it could not comment on the report, as it had not heard from the United States.
"However, we want to point out that the Republic of China (Taiwan) does hope the sale of new F-16C/D fighter aircraft will go through. We are in urgent need of the aircraft," Spokesman Luo shou-he told Reuters.
Continued ... Read More: http://www.reuters.com
Taiwan has repeatedly asked Washington to agree to sell the advanced F-16 fighter jets, citing the need to counter the growing military strength of China, which deems the island a breakaway province that must eventually accept reunification, by force if necessary.
Laura Siebert, Lockheed Martin's spokeswoman for the F-16 program, had no immediate comment on the Defense News report.
Neither Washington nor Taipei has made any formal announcement about the latest call for the fighters.
A State Department official said no decisions have been made on potential arms sales to Taiwan.
Defense News (www.defensenews.com) said on Sunday that Taiwan had been told there would be no sale, citing Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.
"We are so disappointed in the United States," the report quoted an unnamed Taiwan defense official as saying.
"A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) delegation arrived here last week to deliver the news and offer instead a retrofit package for (Taiwan's) older F-16A/Bs," the journal reported from Taipei.
The proposed $4.2 billion upgrade package would make the 146 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs among the most capable variants of the aircraft, the report said.
The new gear would include an AESA radar, likely either Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar or the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar, it said.
Any fresh U.S. arms support to Taiwan is likely to raise hackles in Beijing, but the advanced fighter jets have been an especially touchy point for China, which this week will host U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
The bitter debate in the U.S. Congress over spending and the downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating by Standard & Poor's drew blunt criticism from China's state media, including a commentary that said the U.S. debt woes reflected its military overreach abroad.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it could not comment on the report, as it had not heard from the United States.
"However, we want to point out that the Republic of China (Taiwan) does hope the sale of new F-16C/D fighter aircraft will go through. We are in urgent need of the aircraft," Spokesman Luo shou-he told Reuters.
Continued ... Read More: http://www.reuters.com
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