China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force could be on the brink of purchasing 48 Sukhoi 35 (Su-35) multirole air superiority fighters, in what has been described as one of the largest arms deals between the two countries in recent years.
A Russian Federation Ministry of Defence source told the Russian-language Kommersant business newspaper recently that the request for the Su-35s, made last year, was valued at more than US$4 billion, or about US$85 million per aircraft.
The two sides have “practically agreed” to the deal, the source said.
The Su-35 is a 4-plus-plus-generation multirole air superiority fighter that is just now entering service in the Russian Air Force, which has also ordered 48 in a deal that runs through 2015.
In addition to having some stealth and supercruise characteristics, the Su-35 is expected to be equipped with advanced passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar systems.
The acquisition could further tip the balance of air power in the Taiwan Strait in China’s favor, as Taiwan remains unsuccessful in its requests to obtain 66 F-16C/Ds from the US, an aircraft that is almost a full generation behind the Su-35 (China’s J-20 and the US’ F-22 and F-35 are so-called fifth-generation aircraft).
However, fears of technological theft could add complexity to the Su-35 deal.
According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, Moscow has demanded guarantees that key technologies included in the aircraft — such as the PESA radar and engines — will not be reverse-engineered by China for export.
One official said Russia would only allow the deal to proceed if China purchased a minimum of 24 aircraft.
Last year, China canceled an order for 95 Su-27s for local assembly after Shenyang Aircraft Corp (瀋陽飛機) launched serial production of the J-11 fighter, which experts regard as a near copycat of the Su-27.
Meanwhile, China also reportedly requested an unspecified number of Almaz-Antei S-400 long-range air defense systems from Moscow in November 2010, hoping those could be delivered by 2015. However, Jane’s reported that production problems could make delivery impossible before 2017.
China already has more than a dozen Russian-made S-300PMU2 “Favorit” air defense systems in operation, which have a range of about 200km. About eight battalions, recently deployed in Fujian Province, could shoot down aircraft within some sectors of Taiwanese airspace. The S-400 has a range of approximately 400km, or about twice that of the US-made Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) system deployed by Taiwan.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
INDUSTRIAL CLUSTER: In Germany, the sector would be developed around Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s plant, and extend to Poland and the Czech Republic The Executive Yuan’s economic diplomacy task force has approved programs aimed at bolstering the nation’s chip diplomacy with Japan and European nations. The task force in its first meeting had its operational mechanism and organizational structure confirmed, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) the convener, and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) the deputy conveners. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would be the convener of the task force’s strategy group in charge of policy planning for economic diplomacy. The meeting was attended by the heads of the National Development Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the
RSS