|
 The
United States is planning to buy hundreds of millions
of bullets from Taiwan in the first such deal as its supplies
are running low after wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a
report said Thursday. Citing Taiwanese military sources,
the United Evening News said Washington had made the request
to acquire some 300 million 5.56 NATO ammunition for rifles
for an estimated two billion Taiwan dollars (62.5 million
US).
The deal was yet to be finalized pending
price negotiations, it said.
An unnamed general quoted by the paper
said it would be the first time for Washington, Taiwan's
leading arms supplier, to acquire arms from the island.
In line with its usual practice, Taiwan's
defense ministry declined to comment on the report.
 Taiwan
produces some 400 million such 5.56 NATO rounds annually,
according to the paper. It added most rifle ammunition
is manufactured by an arsenal in southern Kaohsiung which
has storage problems due to declining demand in the absence
of any military conflict across the Taiwan Strait.
The paper also said Taiwan had exported
T-91 rifles to several countries in Southeast Asia, the
Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Washington Wednesday agreed to sell air-to-ground
Hellfire missiles worth 50 million US dollars to Taiwan
to help the island defend itself against threats from
rival China.
"The US Army has executed a letter
of agreement with Taiwan, setting the stage for the sale
of more than 400 AGM-114M blast-fragmentation Hellfire
rounds under a foreign military sales contract,"
US defense giant Lockheed Martin Corporation said.
It would take the company about six months
to make the Hellfire missiles ordered by Taiwan.
The missiles will be mounted on Taiwan's
Super Cobra AH-1W attack and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout
helicopters.
|
