U.S. Decision Near on Arms for Taiwan

U.S. Decision Near on Arms for Taiwan


Updated 8:31 AM ET April 22, 2001
By Charles Aldinger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With U.S.-China ties under major strain over an American spy plane, President Bush must decide by Tuesday whether to sell the world's most advanced warships to Taiwan over opposition from Beijing Taiwan, which Communist China considers a renegade province, has asked for four $1 billion Arleigh Burke Class destroyers equipped with Aegis defense systems




designed to detect and attack dozens of missiles, aircraft and ships at once.
In an annual military package from Washington, Taiwan also wants diesel-electric submarines of German or Dutch design with U.S. technology, an advanced Patriot antimissile defense known as PAC-3 and Lockheed Martin Corp. P-3 maritime search and anti-submarine aircraft.
Experts expect Bush to provide less sophisticated destroyers than the Burkes to Taiwan this year, but possibly to warn China that it must stop stationing missiles along its coastline targeted across the South China Sea at Taiwan.
China objects to the sale of these weapons under a U.S. law which requires presidents to provide for Taiwan's legitimate defensive needs even though Washington recognizes Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China.
DECISION DUE ON TUESDAY
Senior State and Defense Department officials have recommended that Bush sell older and less-sophisticated Kidd Class destroyers to Taipei instead of the Arleigh Burkes, and his final decision will be given to a delegation from Taiwan at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
Due to China's opposition, decisions on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are almost always politically sensitive. But Bush's decision is even more touchy following the April 1 collision of a U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane and a Chinese fighter off the coast of China.
The fighter crashed, killing the pilot, but the crippled four-engine U.S. plane landed at a Chinese base and China held the 24-member crew for 11 days. Beijing has refused so far to return the aircraft, a move that has hardened the views of some members of the U.S. Congress on accelerating the modernization of Taiwan's military.
The United States said that talks in Beijing over the damaged $80 million EP-3 were productive but that further discussions would be held on whether, when and how the plane might be returned.
A Chinese official in Washington last week predicted a "devastating impact" on U.S.-China relations if Washington decided to sell any advanced weapons to Taiwan.
ROCKY CHINA START FOR BUSH
Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhang Yuanyuan said this did not just apply to the Arleigh Burkes, but to other less sophisticated weaponry.
The disputes, coinciding with stepped up U.S. criticism of China's human rights record, have contributed to a rocky start for Bush in his relations with the Communist giant.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on Thursday that the United States considered the dispute over the spy plane and allegations of human rights abuses and religious persecution to be obstacles to good relations, but said Bush would deal with them "realistically."
He said Bush would also pursue progress in areas such as trade where the two countries have a mutual interest.
Washington wants the quick return of its EP-3, while China demands an end to U.S. surveillance flights near the Chinese coast, which it sees as violating its national sovereignty.
The United States says it intends to continue the flights, and published reports have said the Defense Department has drawn up standby plans for American Air Force F-15 fighters based in Japan to escort the spy planes if needed.
Beijing blames the United States for the collision.
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ARLEIGH BURKE CLASS (AEGIS)
The first Arleigh Burke Class Aegis destroyer was commissioned in 1991. Contracts for the destroyers have been split between the Litton subsidiary Ingalls Shipbuilding, based in Pascagoula, Mississippi and the General Dynamics subsidiary, Bath Iron Works, based in Maine. The first 21 ships (DDG51-DDG71) are categorised as Flight I; and the remaining seven (DDG72-DDG78) as Flight II. The revised Flight IIA ships entered production in late 1997, with the first ship, USS Oscar Austin (DDG79), commissioned in August 2000. The third, Winston S. Churchill, was launched in April 1999. Contracts have been awarded to Ingalls for eight ships and Bath Iron Works for six. Improvements over the previous Flights include hangars for two SH-60B/F LAMPS helicopters, new combat systems software, an enlarged flight deck, the Evolved SeaSparrow missile, the Kingfisher mine detection sonar, Kollmorgen optronic periscope and upgrade of the Aegis radar system. DESIGN The entire ship (except the two aluminium funnels) is constructed from steel, with vital areas protected by two layers of steel and 70 tons of Kevlar armour. There is a platform for re-arming and re-fuelling a LAMPS III SH-60B/F helicopter (with ASW capabilities), but no hangars, the ship is unable to house a helicopter of its own. This is the first US Navy class to be fitted out with anti-NBC warfare protection. AEGIS SYSTEM The Arleigh Burke class destroyers are equipped with the Aegis Combat System which integrates the ship's sensors and weapons systems to engage anti-ship missile threats. The Aegis system has a federated architecture with four subsystems - AN/SPY-1 multifunction radar, Command and Decision System (CDS), Aegis Display System (ADS) and the Weapon Control System (WCS). The CDS receives data from ship and external sensors via satellite communications and provides command, control and threat assessment. The WCS receives engagement instruction from the CDS, selects weapons and interfaces with the weapon fire control systems. The weapons control systems include a SWG-1A for Harpoon, SWG-3 forTomahawk Mk 99 Mod 3 missile fire control system, GWS34 Mod 0 gun fire control system and Mk 116 Mod 7 fire control system for anti-submarine systems. WEAPONS The ships are armed with 56 Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a combination of land-attack (TLAM) missiles with a Tercom Aided Navigation System, and anti-ship missiles with inertial guidance. The Standard SM-2MR Block 4 surface-to-air missiles with command/inertial guidance remain at the centre of the Aegis system. Both Tomahawk and Standard missiles are fired from two Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launch systems. There are also eight Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles and Lockheed Martin ASROC vertical launch anti-submarine systems, armed with the Mark 50 or Mark 46 torpedo. ASROC is launched from the Mark 41 VLS. There is one United Defense 127 mm Mk 45 gun and two Raytheon/General Dynamics 20mm 6-barrelled Phalanx Mk 15 close-in weapon systems (CIWS). The destroyers are fitted with 6 (2 triple) 324 mm Mk 32 Mod 14 torpedo tubes, which launch AlliantTechsystems Mk 46 or Mk 50 active/passive homing anti-submarine torpedoes. COUNTERMEASURES The ship's electronic countermeasures/support measures system is the Raytheon AN/SLQ-32(V)3 which performs radar warning and jamming. Decoys include two Lockheed Martin Hycor SRBOC 6-barrelled launchers for chaff and infrared flares and the AN/SLQ-25 torpedo decoy system. SENSORS The air search and fire control radar for the Aegis system is the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-ID 3D phased array radar, operating at E/F band. Surface search radar is a Northrop Grumman Norden Systems AN/SPS-67(V)3 G-band radar. There is also: Raytheon SPS-64(V)9 I-band navigation radar and three Raytheon AN/SPG-62, I/J-Band radars for fire control. The sonar suite is the Gould/Raytheon/GE SQQ-98(V)6, which includes AN/SQS-53C bow-mounted active search and attack sonar and the AN/SQR-19B passive towed array. PROPULSION The destroyers are powered by four GE LM 2500 gas turbines each rated at 33,600 hp with a power turbine speed of 3,600 rpm, driving two shafts, with controllable pitch propellers