Taiwan officer visits U.S. to push F-16C/D sale

F16 C/D BLK 52

A Taiwanese military officer is visiting the United States to press for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to his country. Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang believes that Taiwan badly needed more up-to-date technology.

While attending the 2010 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Cambridge, Maryland Yang said “Many of the fighters now serving Taiwan’s air force should have been retired long time ago. We hope the U.S. would sell Taiwan F-16C/Ds as soon as possible so that we can defend ourselves.”

The backbone of Taiwan’s air force consists of some 60 ageing F-5s, 126 locally made Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), 146 U.S.-made F-16A/Bs and 56 French-made Mirages.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved markedly since 2008 after Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang came to power, but Beijing still refuses to renounce the possibility of using force should the island declare independence.

Ma has repeatedly called on Washington to sell Taipei the F-16C/Ds, saying sufficient weapons would make the island more confident in dealing with Beijing.

Washington early this year announced a weapons package for Taiwan that includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, and equipment for Taiwan’s F-16 fleet, but no submarines or new fighter aircraft.

Analysts have said they doubt Washington would risk angering Beijing by approving the more sensitive items like F-16 C/Ds and submarines.

- chinapost.com

British Airways Repaints Boeing 757

As one of British Airways’s (BA) remaining Boeing 757-200s is about to retire at the end of October after being in service for 27 years, BA decided to repaint the said aircraft in its original color scheme.

BA shared the honors with Eastern Airlines as the twinjet’s launch customer back in 1983. The type made its BA debut on February 9, 1983 operating a Shuttle service between London Heathrow and Belfast and the fleet eventually grew to 54 aircraft.

Just three 757s remain with BA, all of which entered service in 1997, and to mark its retirement one of the 170-seaters (G-CPET) has been repainted in the “Negus & Negus” livery that was introduced with the creation of British Airways in 1973. The “retrojet” began its final month with the airline on October 5 with a flight from Heathrow to Madrid.

BA originally named more than 40 of its 757s after famous castles around the UK, so the last aircraft has been titled “Stokesay Castle” near Ludlow in Shropshire for its final month of service.

Capt. Stephen Riley, director of flight operations said “Almost everyone in the operational side of the business has either piloted, repaired, dispatched or looked after customers flying on this aircraft over the past 27 years.”

BA’s last scheduled 757 flights will operate on Saturday, October 30, during which the aircraft will operate on Shuttle services around the UK to mark its original role with the airline 27 years ago. A farewell charter flight will be operated on 6 November from Heathrow.

-aviationweek.com