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View Full Version : Beijing Kills F-16 Deal For Island of Taiwan




AuH20
08-21-2011, 08:35 PM
The loan shark has some powerful persuasion skills.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7378123&c=AME&s=AIR


Bowing to Chinese pressure, the U.S. will deny Taiwan's request for 66 new F-16C/D fighter aircraft, a Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said. .

Siebert said the failure to release F-16C/Ds will weaken Lockheed Martin's plans to extend the production line for the fighter.

"While Congress has been notified of Oman and Iraq's desire for F-16s, the Taiwan order for 66 aircraft is very important to the long-term viability of the F-16 production to include the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and the thousands of suppliers throughout the U.S.," she said.

More than a few TADTE attendees said the Obama administration might reverse the decision as the 2012 presidential election approaches and political pressure for new jobs builds.

A June report by the Perryman Group, a Texas-based economic and financial analysis firm, estimated that Taiwan's F-16C/D program would create more than 16,000 jobs and almost $768 million in U.S. federal tax revenue. Much of that tax revenue and new jobs would go to election battleground states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

But China holds about 8 percent of U.S. debt, the largest block in foreign hands.

As one TADTE attendee said, "Beijing's Kung Fu is better than Washington's."

jmdrake
08-21-2011, 08:38 PM
The Chinese have stealth fighters. Why are the worried about F-16s? This just goes to show what punks we've become.

Revolution9
08-21-2011, 08:54 PM
The Chinese have stealth fighters. Why are the worried about F-16s? This just goes to show what punks we've become.

My first impression was that like most military hardware deals with proxies the US taxpayer funds the actual purchase. In this case one of the US Treasury creditors told them not to dilute their US currency further and do not keep arming and inciting our neighbors, regardless of the petty disputes we have. Surely America has other high tech skills to market than weaponry..

Rev9

Cowlesy
08-21-2011, 08:55 PM
I think they still get to buy F-16's just not the super-cool/updated ones.

Let's just keep proliferating all our fancy technology all over the world so that everyone will have an equal shot when it all goes down. Good job DoD.