Posted on 11/08/2009 10:20:02 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Taiwan shelves 9 Mirage jets due to lack of spare parts
Asia-Pacific News
Taipei
The Taiwan Air Force has shelved nine Mirage 2000-5 jets due to a lack of spare parts supplied by France, a newspaper report said Sunday.
The China Times quoted an unnamed Air Force official as saying that the jets had been mothballed with assistance from France. The planes had undergone tests so that they could be reactivated, even for combat missions, he said.
The delivery of pare parts could resume by the year-end, the official said.
The China Times report comes one month after lawmaker Lin Yu-fang told parliament that difficulty in obtaining spare parts for maintenance had prompted the air force to cut each Mirage pilot's monthly training from 15 to six hours.
Taiwan ordered 150 F-16A/Bs from the United States and 60 Mirage 2000-5s from France in 1992 as part of a defence acquisition deal. The F-16 and Mirage, together with 130 self-developed Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs), form the backbone of Taiwan's Air Force fleet.
Taiwan has also met difficulty in obtaining 60 F-16C/Ds from the US to replace the outdated F-16A/Bs.
Taiwan and US analysts have said US President Barack Obama may approve the F-16C/D sale to Taiwan after he visits China later this month.
China, which sees Taiwan as its breakaway province, has warned the international community not to launch formal ties with or sell weapons to Taiwan.
In all, 171 countries recognize China while only 23 mostly-small nations recognize Taiwan, the seat of the exiled Republic of China government since 1949.
Aren't they less than 20 years old? What gives? It seems like there should be plenty of parts available.
China, which sees Taiwan as its breakaway province, has warned the international community not to launch formal ties with or sell weapons to Taiwan.
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Thing 1. If Chairman Obamao chooses to NOT approve the F-16C/D sale, then has he not been successfully terrorized?
Thing 2. Perhaps the Pentagon peeps considering whether to award a new USAF tanker contract to Airbus should look at the potentially similar dynamic of Taiwan's inability to get spares for the Mirage jets. Might be critical from a "mission-ready" point of view, n'est ce pas?
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France isn’t selling.
What!?
This is an arrea that MAINLAND China excels in!
Thing 2 is nothing. If NG/EADS re-wins the KC-X contract, Airbus will deliver a bare fuselage with US sourced engines to Northrop Grumman, who will install US sourced avionics and refueling equipment.
Any "parts" required in the future will either be US sourced equipment or be simple airframe parts that can be fabbed by any US contractor.
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