Taiwan plans to buy third-generation warplanes

Posted on: Jan. 22nd, 2006 || Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

TAIPEI: Taiwan plans to buy third-generation warplanes and upgrade its fleet of F-16s and Mirage 2000-5s to boost its defences against the China, a media report said on Sunday.

"Our air force has drawn up the plan for third-generation warplanes, the most important feature is that they must be able to take off and land vertically," the China Times quoted Air Force Commander-in-Chief Liu Kui-li as saying.

"If China attacks Taiwan, its first target will be Taiwan's airbases. So if our warplanes can take off and land vertically, it can reduce their chance of being destroyed," he said.

Liu said the Taiwan Air Force "really wants" the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) but the US had not agreed to sell them to Taiwan.

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