August 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Taiwan has signed an agreement to purchase 66 F-16 jets from Lockheed Martin amid escalating tensions between the US and China.
As part of the $62bn deal, Taiwan will procure the latest generation of F-16s to boost its air power. The Pentagon also confirmed the deal without specifying the buyer.
According to a Bloomberg report, the deal marks the first sale of fighter aircraft to the Asian island, which China considers to be part of its territory since 1992 when the former US administration approved the sale of 150 F-16s to Taiwan.
The latest agreement comes a year after Taiwan received approval from Washington for the purchase.
After the potential deal was announced last year, China issued a strong response and said that the deal will violate the one-China principle.
During the past year, the relationship between the US and China further deteriorated over the Covid-19 pandemic, 5G technology, Hong Kong and trade impasse.
Lockheed Martin has an initial order of 90 F-16 jets, the delivery of which is scheduled for late 2026.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/taiwan-66-f-16-jets/
June 13, 2023 | International, Other Defence
The United States announced on Tuesday a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine that will include munitions for air defense systems, ammunition and vehicles, the Pentagon said.
July 28, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS – The first five of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft bought by India from France's Dassault Aviation are being flown from the manufacturing plant by Indian Air Force pilots to India between July 27-29. The three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft are slated to make the trip in two stages, with air-to-air refueling during the first leg provided by a French Air Force A330 Phenix MRTT tanker. Also accompanying the Rafales is a second MRTT carrying 70 respirators, 100,000 test kits and 10 military health professionals to help India with its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The pilots took off from the Dassault Aviation Mérignac facility near Bordeaux in western France and will land at Ambala Air Force Station in northern India, some 125 miles north of Delhi, on July 29, according to the Indian Air Force official Twitter account. The first leg is to the Al Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates where the aircraft landed on Monday afternoon. They were sent off in the presence of Shri Jawed Ashraf, the Indian ambassador to France, and Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, who saluted the “amazing efficiency and determination of the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defense, despite this unprecedented world health crisis” to ensure that the program remained on track. The Indian Air Force team flying the aircraft have been training in France for almost three years. The aircraft will integrate into the country's No 17 Squadron, dubbed “Golden Arrows.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/07/27/indias-first-batch-of-rafale-fighters-is-on-its-way-from-france/
March 21, 2024 | International, Land