21.09.2011, 19:51
Zitat:US confirms $5bn Taiwan F-16 fighter jet upgrade<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15009033">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15009033</a><!-- m -->
The US has confirmed plans to upgrade Taiwan's ageing fleet of F-16 US-built fighter planes. The announcement suggests the US will not now sell Taiwan a newer generation of F-16, as Taipei had hoped. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has warned Washington not to proceed with the $5bn (£3bn) deal.
But the US is legally bound to help Taiwan defend itself, and the move comes as China's military superiority over Taiwan has steadily increased. US officials said the F-16 A/B fighters will undergo a retrofit which will bring them up to the same standards as the more advanced C/D models. [...]
But Taiwan also said it would continue its attempts to purchase more than 60 of the C/D planes, which are considered more of a match for China's latest war planes.
Schneemann.