Taiwan and US ASW and Submarine News

Looks like things are shaking up with the Taiwan P-3C purchase.

The United States has dropped plans to let eight of the 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircrafts - which Taiwan plans to buy from the US - be assembled in Taiwan, local media reported Monday.

The United Daily News, quoting an unnamed military source, said the US, taking advantage of Taiwan's dismantling an arms purchase firm in charge of the P-3C deal, has withdrawn its promise to let eight of the 12 P-3Cs be assembled in Taiwan.

Also an important note of interest. Eric Wertheim makes the following comment in the March 08 issue of Proceedings in his World Navies Review article.

In Taiwan, the plan to purchase eight diesel submarines, partially paid for with U.S. foreign military aid, has been formally canceled by Taiwan's legislature. Though promised by the George W. Bush administration in 2001, few nations with submarine expertise seemed willing to raise the wrath of mainland China by offering such advanced technology to Taiwan.

Looks like the US will not be exporting conventional submarines to Taiwan in the future. Seems to me that if Taiwan wants submarines, they should try to buy some from Russia, who hasn't met an arms deal they would reject so far this century.