WASHINGTON- Taiwan confirmed on Thursday that it had given up buying new anti-submarine helicopters from the United States because the price was too high.
The Taiwanese military previously said it would buy 12 MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, which will be manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky Aircraft Company, but Reuters quoted Taiwanese media as saying the procurement plan, known as “Condor III”, had been rejected because the US side pointed out that the arms sale does not meet Taiwan’s needs.
Taiwanese Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng attended the Yuan Foreign and Defense Legislative Committee on Thursday and was asked about recent changes in Taiwan’s purchase of US troops, speaking first about the purchase of the Shenying-3 helicopter.
“The price is too high and beyond our capabilities,” Qiu said.
Before Taiwan backed off from buying advanced anti-submarine helicopters from the United States, two major arms purchases were in doubt.
First, the delivery schedule of the M109A6 self-propelled gun sold from the United States to Taiwan is to be postponed until after 2026 due to “crowding out of the production line”.
Second, due to “crowding out of the production line”, the delivery of the 250 “Stinger” shoulder-launched man-portable anti-aircraft missiles (the “Taiwan bayonet”) purchased from the United States may be delayed.
