DTN News: U.S. Arms Sales To Return To Normal Track: Taiwan Official

DTN News: U.S. Arms Sales To Return To Normal Track: Taiwan Official

Source: DTN News / Taiwan News Central News Agency 2010-08-26 11:36 AM

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON- August 31, 2010: A senior Taiwan official posted in Washington expressed welcome Wednesday to the U.S. government's recent decision to allow U.S. companies to sell Taiwan defense articles and services directly without having to create "arms packages." The U.S. Department of State confirmed Tuesday that it had notified Congress of its decision to allow U.S. companies to make commercial exports to Taiwan of defense services and articles to support and upgrade the island's existing air defense radar systems. The latest sales, worth over US$100 million, will be carried out under a direct commercial sales (DCS) program between Taiwan and private U.S. companies, said the Taiwan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The new practice is poised to put U.S. arms sales to Taiwan back on their normal track," the official said. He attributed the adoption of the DCS -- for the sales of items to support Taiwan's air defense radar system and improve existing radar used in the Ching-kuo indigenous defense fighter aircraft -- mainly to the fact that Taiwan's Air Force "is already familiar with the systems." The U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, which groups U.S. companies with interests in Taiwan, also said Tuesday that it believes the latest State Department decision will contribute to returning U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to normal. In the past, the United States usually sold arms to Taiwan under a more time-consuming Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system, with the U.S. government supervising bidding, production and delivery of the defense articles, services and technological data. Under the FMS system, the U.S. government is responsible for enforcing the sales contracts. The model operates as if it is the U.S. government procuring the items from private contractors and reselling them to the foreign customer. The FMS system is more costly for the procuring countries because they have to pay the U.S. government's administrative bill, but the deal is less risky and offers greater guarantee of success. The Taiwan official also attributed the U.S. decision to the fact that "package" sales and relevant announcements tend to make the matter "too high-profile, " triggering political implications.

*Link to this article - "U.S. Arms Sales To Return To Normal Track: Taiwan Official - Taiwan News Central News Agency 2010-08-26 11:36 AM ". *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Taiwan's CSIST Shows Off Missiles, UAVs At TADTE

DTN News: Taiwan's CSIST Shows Off Missiles, UAVs At TADTE

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) TAIPEI, Taiwan - August 17, 2009: In a surprise move, CSIST displayed the Hsiung Feng 3 (Brave Wind) anti-ship missile and Tien Kung-3 (Sky Bow) air defense missile. It is only the second time the military has allowed public access to the two missiles. The first time was in 2007, when both were displayed during the Ten-Ten military parade. CM32 8X8 Yunpao [Cloud Leopard] Armored Vehicle ~ The CM-32 is an 8x8 armored vehicle based on the design of the 6x6 CM-31. The vehicle takes its moniker from Taiwan's nearly extinct clouded leopard, or "Yunpao," because of its agility and stealth. The design was developed by Timoney of Ireland. Timoney Technology Limited was formed as a campus company at University College Dublin in 1968 and still retains close links with the college. The Timoney Technology Group designs and develops a variety of vehicles for commercial applications, mainly utilising their unique Independent Suspension Technology. Timoney's range of high mobility vehicles includes Armoured Personnel Carriers, Combat Support Vehicles, Heavy Transporters and Airport Crash Fire Rescue Vehicles. There was initially little definitive information about the CM-32 available. Some reports suggested that Taiwan will build the vehicles within the country, under license from a foreign developer. This is probably an 8x8 version of the Timoney Mk8, known as the CM31 in Taiwan. In 2001 it was announced this Irish company had won the competition to supply an 8x8. Pressure was applied by the US to have this decision overturned in favor of the Stryker, though it seems this efforts was unsuccessful. Other reports suggest that the vehicle will be both indigenously designed and built entirely by Taiwan. In a military reform plan that was completed in 2001, Taiwan's military cut troop numbers but increased their mobility and firepower. This marked an end to the debate in the army over whether the next generation of armored vehicles should be tracked or wheeled. The choice suggests that mobility was given top priority. The first model, which is similar in design to the French-made Piranha armoured vehicle, was completed in February 2004. Mass production of the new vehicle, which will not begin until it passes tactical evaluation, is slated for 2007. The new vehicles would replace some 700 M-41 tanks, while M48-Hs and M60-A3s would remain the backbone of the army's tank force. The procurement project could cost the army up to 36 billion Taiwan dollars (1.05 billion US). Estimated to cost NT$65 million each, the military claims it is about one-quarter of the price of the Stryker. The eight-wheeled vehicle, specially designed for the challenges presented by Taiwan's demanding local environment, represents a breakthrough for the military which previously had to buy more expensive foreign equipment. The military rolled out three prototypes of the eight-wheeled vehicle 11 January 2005 at a ceremony at the Ordinance Readiness Development Center in Nantou, where the vehicle will be mass-produced beginning in 2007. The ORDC has the capacity itself to produce 30 of the armored vehicles a year, although the private sector may be tapped to help since the military projects it will receive requests for up to 1,400 carriers. CSIST also exhibited a sounding rocket. A Taiwan defense analyst said the rocket was originally a cover program for Taiwan's ballistic missile development. However, CSIST officials denied this, stating the rocket was for scientific experiments conducted by the National Space Program Office (NSPO). "CSIST and NSPO joined together on this program in 1997," said a CSIST official. "We have 10-15 sounding rocket launches planned with the NSPO before 2018. We build them as NSPO needs them." The two-stage solid fuel rocket is 7.7 meters in length, has a speed of Mach 7, a maximum altitude of 280 km and can carry a 130 kg payload. The Taiwan defense analyst said the fact that it is a two-stage sounding rocket raises questions and "CSIST was careful to make sure they only acknowledged a maximum altitude of 280 km," just short of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) 300 km/500 kg range/payload minimum. UAVs showcased CSIST also displayed a wide variety of UAVs at this year's TADTE, including an operational Chung Shyang for the first time. A CSIST representative said the first one was built in 2007 and CSIST now has five operational prototypes. "The army and air force are interested in the Chung Shyang," he said. "With the recent typhoon, the army could have conducted a damage assessment, but the army has no UAV capability at this time. We expect a decision from the military in 2010 with a potential order of twenty." The Chung Shyang has both day and night surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. It can also serve as a communications relay. It has a range of 100 km, cruising speed of 60 knots with an eight-hour endurance. The Taiwan coast guard has dropped interest in the platform for budgetary reasons, he said. CSIST also showed off its Cardinal mini-UAV system and Blue Magpie mini-UAV system, both hand-launched platforms. The 2.1 kg Cardinal began development in 2007 and there are now ten in production for further testing. It has a range of 15-20 km, speed of 30 knots, endurance of 1.5 hours, and a maximum altitude of 4.5 km. Payload options include a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, night vision camera, goggle manual and autopilot. The military has expressed interest in procuring the Cardinal, but no decision has been made. However, the Blue Magpie has garnered no interest by the military. The system is extremely small with a weight of only 1.0 kg. It has a CCD payload and can be flown by autopilot or manual. It has a range of three kilometers, maximum altitude .6-1.5 km, cruising speed of 25 knots with a one-hour endurance. The UAV can "transmit real-time images … and can be used for reconnaissance and target acquisition," said a CSIST representative. It has been in development since 2006. Clouded Leopard A representative of the Combined Logistics Command, under the Ministry of National Defense, confirmed the 8x8 CM-32 Clouded Leopard was still being considered by the military, despite local media reports the program had been killed. "The army will make a final decision in 2010 on the fate of the platform," he said. There have been reports in the local media the CM-32 was overweight, suffered from transmission problems, lacked amphibious capabilities, and the turning radius was too wide.

DTN News: DPP Slams AIDC Plan To Work With Chinese Firm / Taiwanese Defense Company Seeks China Deal

DTN News: DPP Slams AIDC Plan To Work With Chinese Firm / Taiwanese Defense Company Seeks China Deal

*Sources: DTN News / Taipei Times / AP

*The DPP’s Chai Trong-rong raised fears of security leaks if a firm that is involved in Taiwan’s air defense were to cooperate with a Chinese company By Rich Chang ~ Taipei Times

(NSI News Source Info) TAIPEI, Taiwan - June 23, 2009: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday criticized the government-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation’s (AIDC) proposal to co-­produce commercial aircraft with a Chinese aviation company. The Republic of China Air Force's AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo is a light fighter aircraft named after the late ROC President Chiang Ching-kuo. It entered active service in 1994, and 131 production aircraft had been manufactured by 1999. Although named and commonly known as the Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF), the project was a joint effort between Republic of China and United States defense companies, with final assembly by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) (based in Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China). The IDF program was initiated when purchase of the US -built F-20 Tigershark ran into political problems.* The AIDC yesterday confirmed it had proposed cooperating with China Commercial Aircraft Co to co-assemble commercial airplanes.

“The AIDC receives 80 percent of its business from the military, and has been a very important player in the domestic arms industry. China is an enemy of Taiwan. How can a domestic company responsible for developing Taiwan’s air defense technology cooperate with the enemy?” DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said at a press conference yesterday.

There was a strong chance military secrets would end up being leaked through the cooperation, he said.Chai said because President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is leaning toward China and neglecting national security, it made sense that the US has hesitated to sell advanced arms to Taiwan as it has concerns that advanced technology could end up in Chinese hands.

Chai said Ma should stop jeopardizing Taiwan’s national security.

AIDC spokesman Lee Shih-chang (李適彰) confirmed a news report that the AIDC had proposed co-production of civilian aircraft with the Chinese company under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ direction.He said the company was well prepared to make sure military technology would not be leaked to China.

The AIDC and China Commercial Aircraft plan to complete production of their first commercial airplane by 2014.

The Taiwanese company said when thinking about cross-strait aviation exchange, the assembly of civil aircraft and parts production management were two areas worth considering.

The AIDC had said that while the civil aviation market in Taiwan was rather limited because of the size of the nation, the market had nearly been destroyed since the launch of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.

The AIDC was founded in 1969 under the authority of the Air Force. In 1996 the company was transformed from a military entity into a government-owned company under the authority of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.The company produced Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Fighter.

*Related Info ~ DTN News: Taiwanese Defense Company Seeks China Deal ~ Source: AP

The producer of a strategically important Taiwanese jet fighter said Monday it was discussing a deal on commercial aircraft manufacture with a Chinese company, despite concern from the island's military. Li Shih-chang of the government-held Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation told The Associated Press his company met with China's state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation during the Shanghai air show in May. "We are still talking about a possible concept for commercial aircraft, but there has not been a deal yet," Li said. "We will not give up on any possible business opportunity." AIDC made Taiwan's Indigenous Defense Fighter jets on a now discontinued production line, and remains responsible for IDF maintenance. Li's statement comes amid steadily improving ties between Taiwan and the mainland. Since coming into office 13 months ago, President Ma Ying-jeou has jettisoned his predecessor's pro-independence policies, in favor of much greater political and economic engagement with China. Ministry of Defense spokesman Yu Sy-tue questioned the wisdom of any deal between AIDC and the Chinese company. "Of course we have some concerns, " he said. "But we do not have the power to interfere with their commercial aircraft deals." Li said his company would be able to keep confidential military information out of Chinese hands. "We have worked with nine countries and 16 companies and we have the experience to keep secrets from leaking," he said. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing continues to claim the island of its territory, and threatens to attack if Taiwan makes the break permanent.

Taiwan's AIDC To Join Mitsubishi In Developing Regional Jet

Taiwan's AIDC To Join Mitsubishi In Developing Regional Jet

(NSI News Source Info) Taipei - January 14, 2009: Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) will join Japans's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd in developing regional jets, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Saturday. Mitsubishi has invited AIDC to jointly develop regional jets due to AIDC 's capability in aircraft design and manufacturing, CNA quoted Economics Minister Yin Chi-ming as saying. AIDC and Mitsubishi have formed a "partnership relationship" on developing commercial regional jets. Yin will visit Mitsubishi's aeronautics department next week to push the deal, CNA said. CNA said that Mitsubishi has entrusted AIDC to design a certain part of the regional jet, but AIDC also wants to be allowed to manufacture components for the jet. Mitsubishi is involved in making ships, planes and bullet trains. Its aeronautics section is called the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp which is in Nagoya, Japan.

The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) is a passenger jet aircraft seating 70-96 passengers to be manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor Corporation. The aircraft program is expected to be launched in early 2008. On March 28, 2008, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), a 70-90 seat regional jet developed jointly with Pratt & Whitney, Parker Aerospace, Rockwell Collins and Sumitomo Precision Products co Ltd. AIDC, based in Taichung, central Taiwan, used to be Taiwan's state-owned military aircraft maker, having produced UH-1H helicopters,? F-5E/F bombers and the Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDF). The company became privatized in 1996, and is now focused on manufacturing components for commercial aircraft for Taiwanese and overseas clients.