South China Morning Post
Date: 14 Sep, 2019
By: Bloomberg
- Taipei has agreed to buy 66 new Block 70 combat aircraft from Lockheed Martin
- Once deal is approved by US Congress Taiwan must submit a ‘letter of offer and acceptance’ that is translated into a signed contract with delivery dates
Taiwan has signalled to US officials that it will move swiftly to complete the purchase of 66 new F-16 fighters once congressional foreign relations committees complete their review this month, according to a US State Department official.
The department formally notified Congress on August 20 that it approved the sale, which includes munitions, defensive electronics and a fire-control radar that would allow precision-guided missiles and bombs to be launched from greater distances.
Once the deal is approved by Congress – there has been no sign it will be blocked – Taiwan must submit a “letter of offer and acceptance” that gets translated into a signed contract with delivery dates.
“According to our counterparts in Taiwan and the Taiwan representative’s office” in the US “they anticipate a quick move on their part” to finish the F-16 deal, assistant secretary of state Clarke Cooper said. [FULL STORY]