The US has agreed to transfer titanium investment casting process technology to Taiwanese companies, providing them the capability to produce aerospace and military-grade titanium, a senior Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has agreed to provide the technology transfer and technical know-how and training in the areas of radiographic and penetrant inspection, hot isostatic pressure processing, pyrometric control, weld inspection methodology and aerospace standard certification, said the official, who declined to be identified.
The US firm’s industrial cooperation project with Taiwan seeks to assist the local defense industry in enhancing and upgrading existing capabilities, the official said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The project is part of an arms deal, in which the US has agreed to transfer technologies related to the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) upgrade package for the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system, the official added.
The arms package consists of six sets of PAC-3 missile systems and upgrade packages to convert three sets of PAC-2 systems to PAC-3 specification at a total cost of NT$179.1 billion (US$5.96 billion), the official said.
The missile deliveries and upgrades are expected to conclude by 2021, the official added.
Taiwan could apply the technology to its domestically produced missiles and aircraft, as well as key precision equipment, the official said, adding that it would provide an indeterminable boost to the nation’s defense technologies.
The US firm, the primary contractor for the PAC-3 package, said it has received approval from the US government for the technology transfer.
The company’s representative has already submitted a technology transfer proposal to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the official said.
“We will invite all eligible aerospace companies to attend an event at which pertinent information regarding the technology transfer would be made available,” the official said.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS