Taiwan says it cannot afford new U.S. anti-submarine helicopters By Reuters

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan signalled on Thursday that it had deserted a plan to purchase superior new anti-submarine warfare helicopters from the US, saying they have been too costly.

Taiwan had earlier mentioned it was planning to purchase 12 MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:) unit Sikorsky, however home media mentioned the US had rejected the sale as not being according to the island’s wants.

Requested in parliament about current modifications to Taiwan’s purchases of latest U.S. weapons, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng talked about the helicopter case first.

“The value is just too excessive, past the scope of our nation’s means,” he mentioned.

Two different arms purchases have additionally been delayed – M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery methods, and cellular Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

The Raytheon Applied sciences (NYSE:)’ Stingers are in scorching demand in Ukraine, the place they’ve been used in opposition to Russian plane, however U.S. provides have shrunk and there are important hurdles to producing extra of the anti-aircraft weapons.

Chiu mentioned they’d already signed the contract for the Stingers and paid for them, and they might press the US to ship them.

“We do not view arms gross sales as a mere matter, and we’ve got back-up plans,” he added, with out elaborating.

Taiwan says the US has provided it alternate options to the M109A6, together with truck-based rocket launchers made by Lockheed Martin known as the Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.

Chiu mentioned they have been nonetheless contemplating their choices on that.

A U.S. State Division spokesperson declined to touch upon particular platforms however mentioned: “America’ swift provision to Taiwan of defensive weaponry … is crucial for Taiwan’s safety, and we are going to proceed to work with trade to help that purpose.”

Taiwan, claimed by China as its personal territory, is enterprise a army modernisation programme to enhance its capabilities to fend off a Chinese language assault, together with with precision weapons like missiles.

President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the idea of “uneven warfare”, which entails growing high-tech, extremely cellular weapons which might be laborious to destroy and may ship precision assaults.

U.S. officers have been pushing Taiwan to modernise its army so it will possibly grow to be a “porcupine” that’s laborious for China to assault.

China has been ramping up its personal army modernisation and stress in opposition to Taiwan because it seeks to pressure the democratically ruled island to just accept Beijing’s rule.

Chiu mentioned that just lately – with out giving a timeframe – there have been many “enemy ships” within the waters round Taiwan, which “in precept stand off” with Taiwanese forces. He didn’t give particulars.

Eight Chinese language naval vessels, together with the plane service the Liaoning, handed between islands in Japan’s southern Okinawa chain on Monday, an space that’s to Taiwan’s northeast.