g**1
发帖数: 10330 | 1 可怜小马哥27次哭求，无济于事。
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7378123&c=ASI&s=AIR
U.S. To Deny Taiwan New F-16 Fighters
Offers AESA Radar in Upgrade for Older Jets
TAIPEI - Bowing to Chinese pressure, the U.S. will deny Taiwan's request for
66 new F-16C/D fighter aircraft, a Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND
) official said.
"We are so disappointed in the United States," he said.
A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) delegation arrived here last week to
deliver the news and offer instead a retrofit package for older F-16A/Bs
that includes an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
The visit coincided with the biennial Taipei Aerospace and Defense
Technology Exhibition (TADTE), held here Aug. 11-14.
"The U.S. Pentagon is here explaining what is in the upgrade package," a U.S
. defense industry source said at TADTE. "They are going to split the baby:
no C/Ds, but the A/B upgrade is going forward."
Sources said an official announcement of the decision is expected by month's
end.
But an official at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S.
Embassy, said "no decisions have been made," while DoD officials declined
to comment on their delegation's mission.
The proposed upgrade package would make the 146 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs among the
most capable variants of the aircraft, perhaps second only to the APG-80
AESA-equipped F-16E/Fs flown by the United Arab Emirates.
Originally requested by Taipei in 2009, the package would cost $4.2 billion,
sources at TADTE said.
The new gear would include an AESA radar, likely either Northrop Grumman's
Scalable Agile Beam Radar or the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar, to replace
the planes' current APG-66(V)3 radar.
Either one would be an improvement on the Northrop APG-68(V)9 mechanical
radar once contemplated for Taiwan's upgrade package. The switch is meant to
soften the blow of denying new planes to Taipei, a Lockheed Martin source
said.
A decision between the two AESA candidates could foreshadow the U.S. Air
Force's own choice as it prepares to upgrade its fleet of F-16s. The upgrade
package will also improve the planes' Raytheon ALQ-184(V)7 electronic
countermeasures pod by adding the capacity to intercept and save hostile
radar transmissions, then use the same frequency to jam them.
However, ITT is offering the ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive
Electronic Warfare Suite pod as an alternative.
ITT is also offering the BRU-57/A Smart Twin Store Carrier, which doubles
the number of bombs an F-16 can carry, an ITT source said.
The package would also replace the AIM-9P/M Sidewinder air-to-air missile
with the new AIM-9X; fit the planes to carry enhanced GBU-12 Paveway II
laser-guided bombs; and add a digital radar warning receiver, helmet-mounted
cueing system and center pedestal display.
The package will not include new engines to better handle the additional
weight and electrical draw, though there could be an upgrade to bring the
existing Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 to the PW-220E standard. The upgrade
would swap out obsolete parts for newer ones, but wouldn't offer any
additional performance.
Lockheed Martin will be working with Taiwan's state-run Aerospace Industrial
Development Corp. (AIDC) to integrate the new gear on the jets.
"Changing a fighter's major sensor should not be taken lightly. It is more
than electrical capacity. It is the integration of sensors, weapons,
displays, etc., that make a fighter aircraft effective," Lockheed
spokeswoman Laura Siebert said.
CONSEQUENCES
Siebert said the failure to release F-16C/Ds will weaken Lockheed Martin's
plans to extend the production line for the fighter.
"While Congress has been notified of Oman and Iraq's desire for F-16s, the
Taiwan order for 66 aircraft is very important to the long-term viability of
the F-16 production to include the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and the
thousands of suppliers throughout the U.S.," she said.
More than a few TADTE attendees said the Obama administration might reverse
the decision as the 2012 presidential election approaches and political
pressure for new jobs builds.
A June report by the Perryman Group, a Texas-based economic and financial
analysis firm, estimated that Taiwan's F-16C/D program would create more
than 16,000 jobs and almost $768 million in U.S. federal tax revenue. Much
of that tax revenue and new jobs would go to election battleground states:
California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Utah.
But China holds about 8 percent of U.S. debt, the largest block in foreign
hands.
As one TADTE attendee said, "Beijing's Kung Fu is better than Washington's."
The denial of the new jets will likely lead AIDC officials to ask the
government to expand upgrade plans for Taiwan's 126 Indigenous Defense
Fighters, of which 71 are currently slated for upgrades.
The company has also been pushing Taiwan's Air Force to allocate funds for
full-rate production of the IDF C/D Goshawk, which features improved range
and weapons payload.
BACKGROUND
In July, the U.S. State Department indicated a final decision on the F-16
issue would be made by Oct. 1. Since 2006, the U.S. has repeatedly denied
Taiwan's request for 66 F-16C/D Block 50/52s, a prospective sale estimated
at more than $8 billion.
The planes would replace 60 F-5 Tigers and 60 Mirage 2000-5s due for
retirement within five to 10 years.
China has called the sale a "red line." A recent editorial in the state-
controlled People's Daily called for the use of a "financial weapon" against
the U.S. if new F-16s were released.
The U.S. decision comes as a blow to the self-ruled island's effort to
counter China's growing military, whose first aircraft carrier began sea
trials last week, and therefore to its independence.
There are fears that losing Taiwan could spell the end of U.S. power
projection in the region. Losing Taiwan would "change everything from the
operational arch perspective to the posture of Japan and the U.S." in the
region, said Raytheon's Asia president, Walter Doran, a retired admiral who
once commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Staff writer Dave Majumdar in Washington contributed to this report. | s****n
发帖数: 4266 | 2 KMT 當年(04-07)稱F-16 C/D Block 50/52 軍購案為凱子軍購，全投反對票成功的否決
F-16 C/D Block 50/52軍購案數年，但08後立場 KMT 態度180度大轉變，造成美國人無
法信任立場如此搖擺的KMT！買不到活該！ | e**s
发帖数: 4638 | 3 美帝那个时候扶植了阿扁，KMT 同意才是真傻 ～～～～～～～～～lol
【在 s****n 的大作中提到】
: KMT 當年(04-07)稱F-16 C/D Block 50/52 軍購案為凱子軍購，全投反對票成功的否決
: F-16 C/D Block 50/52軍購案數年，但08後立場 KMT 態度180度大轉變，造成美國人無
: 法信任立場如此搖擺的KMT！買不到活該！
| b*****2
发帖数: 11103 | 4 凯子有什么信任不信任的
【在 s****n 的大作中提到】
: KMT 當年(04-07)稱F-16 C/D Block 50/52 軍購案為凱子軍購，全投反對票成功的否決
: F-16 C/D Block 50/52軍購案數年，但08後立場 KMT 態度180度大轉變，造成美國人無
: 法信任立場如此搖擺的KMT！買不到活該！
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