Defense Minister Yen Ming said on Monday that the military is only planning on buying two Perry-class frigates from the United States. Yen’s comment came after some lawmakers voiced concerns that the maintenance fees might be high for the rather old Perry-class warships.
“The current situation is that the [US has agreed to sell Taiwan] four warships" said Yen. "We had originally asked for more than four because when it comes to arms sales, we would rather ask for more rather than not enough. But now because of our budget and timeframe, we have decided to purchase only two warships at this time.”
The minister also said that it will be specified in the contract that when the warships are delivered, all the components have to be brand new no matter how old the warships are. Yen added that the military will not accept everything the U.S. offers Taiwan.
The four vessels the US has agreed to sell Taiwan were commissioned in 1984 and 1985. The warships can support both surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. However, before the transfer of the vessels becomes official, the bill will need to pass the Senate and be approved by President Obama.