Text Fwd: U.S. Could Supply Taiwan With Tanks, Torpedoes

* Text sent from Rick Rozoff on July 20, 2010

Defense News
Agence France-Presse
July 19, 2010
Taiwan Eyes U.S. Tanks, Torpedoes: Report

TAIPEI: Taiwan plans to buy U.S.-made torpedoes and heavy tanks to boost its defense capabilities despite the thaw in ties between the island and mainland China, it was reported July 19.

President Ma Ying-jeou has ordered the defense ministry to draft a shopping list which includes MK-54 torpedoes, dozens of M1A2 tanks and amphibious landing vehicles, the Liberty Times said.

If acquired, the MK-54s will be used to replace the navy's ageing MK-46s, it said.

The ministry said the procurement list had not yet been finalized.
....
Washington announced in January a weapons package for Taiwan that includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, and equipment for Taiwan's F-16 fleet, but no submarines or new fighter aircraft.

Beijing reacted angrily to the arms deal, saying it would cut military and security contacts with the United States.
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Photo Fwd: Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters

Korea Times
'First mission: Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over mountainous areas in Gwoesan, North Chungcheong Province, Wednesday, as part of their first mission in the New Year.

/ Korea Times Photo by Kim Ju-sung'

Text Fwd: U.S. not stopping arms sales to Taiwan: Military

* Text Fwd from Rick Rozoff (also in StopNATO)
Taiwan News
January 4, 2010
U.S. not stopping arms sales to Taiwan: Military

TAIPEI: The Ministry of National Defense denied media reports Monday that the United States was stopping plans to sell military hardware to Taiwan.

Not only the sale of advanced F-16 C/D jets and Black Hawk helicopters had been put off, but even the delivery of parts worth US$50 million was stalling, the Chinese-language Apple Daily said. If the military did not receive those parts by May or June, some of its most sophisticated weapons systems would be difficult to use, according to the paper.

The ministry rejected the reports, saying it had received no such notification from Washington. All military deals worth more than US$50 million needed the authorization of Congress, the ministry added.

Ruling Kuomintang lawmaker Lin Yu-fang said that last week’s decision by the Legislative Yuan to take measures against the imports of potentially risky U.S. beef products had provided State Department opponents of arms sales to Taiwan with an excuse to step up their obstruction.

On the opposite side, the Washington Post reported Sunday that the Obama Administration would soon announce the sale to Taiwan of a package worth billions of U.S. dollars including the Black Hawk helicopters, anti-missile systems and plans for diesel-powered submarines in a move likely to anger China.

In combination with an eventual meeting with the Dalai Lama later this month, the weapons announcement might lead to a strong reaction from Beijing, the paper said.

China might decide to cancel military exchanges with the U.S. or keep its President Hu Jintao away from a nuclear security summit in April, the Washington Post said.
....

Stop NATO

Text Fwd: S. Korea May Lease U.S. MRAPs for Afghan Mission

Defense News
S. Korea May Lease U.S. MRAPs for Afghan Mission
By JUNG SUNG-KI
Published: 9 Dec 2009 12:26

SEOUL - South Korea is discussing with the U.S. military a plan to lease or buy 10 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to protect the 320 troops it will deploy to Afghanistan next year, the Ministry of National Defense said Dec. 8.

"A final decision will be made as late as next month," Lt. Gen. Jang Kwang-il, deputy minister for policy, said in a briefing on details of the redeployment to Afghanistan, apparently in support of the upcoming 30,000-troop U.S. surge.

Jang cited statistics that show the U.S. deployment of MRAPs to Afghanistan has helped lower its troop fatalities there significantly in recent years.

If it fails to secure U.S. MRAPs, the ministry will deploy the South Korean Army's Barracuda four-wheel-drive armored vehicles or K21 armored infantry fighting vehicles, Jang said.

Jointly developed by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Doosan DST, the 25-ton K21 has a 750-horsepower turbo-diesel engine and 40mm automatic cannon capable of shooting down slow-moving helicopters and aircraft. It is equipped with digital communication, GPS receivers and inter-vehicle digital links. The K21 can travel as fast as 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads and cross a river at a speed of 7.8 kilometers per hour with the help of its water-jet propulsion system.

South Korean troops will be stationed in mountainous Parwan province, 60 kilometers north of Kabul, along with civilian reconstruction workers, the ministry said in a news release.

Other gear for the deployment includes:

* Four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fitted with missile protection systems.

* A mini UAV for reconnaissance and surveillance. A viable candidate is a Ucon Systems-developed hand-launched UAV that uses a parachute landing system. The UAV, which has a service ceiling of 1.5 kilometers and a mission radius of 10 kilometers, is under field trials, according to the release.

* The ADD-developed K11 airburst assault rifle. It consists of a semi-automatic 20mm smart-grenade launcher, an underslung assault rifle that fires a standard 5.56mm NATO round, and a top-mounted computer-assisted sighting system with integrated rangefinder and thermal infrared night-vision capabilities.

Deploying portable/robotic explosive detection systems is also under consideration, the ministry said.

Earlier in the day, the South Korean Cabinet endorsed the plan to send 320 troops, 40 police and 100 Provincial Reconstruction Team members to Afghanistan in July.

The ministry is to submit the motion, which calls for 29 months of deployment, to the National Assembly for approval later this week.