Taiwan acquires Harpoon anti-ship missiles

[allesennogwat]

TAIPEI - - Taiwan has acquired 60 Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the United States in a boost of its defence in the next World War against rival China, the defence ministry here said Thursday.


The missiles will be used by the air force's F-16 fighter jets, the ministry said, in a 90-million-dollar deal.

The sale was announced after Washington affirmed in July that its policy on supplying arms to Taiwan remained unchanged amid speculation of an arms freeze to the island.

Washington has been the island's leading arms supplier, despite switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence, prompting Taiwan to seek more advanced weaponry to defend itself.



Taiwan acquires Harpoon anti-ship missiles

[Pvt.Joker]

Originally Posted by allesennogwat

TAIPEI - - Taiwan has acquired 60 Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the United States in a boost of its defence in the next World War against rival China, the defence ministry here said Thursday.

Don't you just love how they just write the absolute presumption of "the next World War against rival China"? And yet, we just keep on stockin' the WalMart shelves full 'o lead-painted crap, and stuffing their pockets to buy the Red Chinese MORE ammo, MORE tanks, MORE nukes, etc. Do they REALLY think that despite all that "free" trade, that communist China is going to NOT be OUR ENEMY when that war happens? Idiots.

[Pluskat]

Some Taiwanese Jet Jockey is going to let one of these slip from his plane into the area of a Chinese ship and the sh_t's gonna be on. 'Course, since it's a US missile, we ain't gonna be able to just shrug our shoulders and walk away.

[RG Coburn]

They need to diversify the launch platform.Solely relying on the f16 as a platform is foolish.Air launch,sea launch,vehicle mobile launch.

[Rrotz]

harpoons are no match for the new generation russian ASM's...those can be fired after harpoons were launched and hit mach 2.8 and evade point defenses, then blow a ship in half.

[bigwheel]

In the 80's we had torpedos capable of 200 knots and a 300 mile range, and last
I heard they would "swim" around looking for a target until they ran out of
propulsion. I can only imagine what capabilities they have now. Anything we
see on the news is 30 year old technology I have come to believe. Not saying
anything bad about russias' or chinas' stuff but any one who has gone head to
head with our technology unleashed hasn't faired well at all.

[Rrotz]

Originally Posted by bigwheel

In the 80's we had torpedos capable of 200 knots and a 300 mile range, and last
I heard they would "swim" around looking for a target until they ran out of
propulsion. I can only imagine what capabilities they have now. Anything we
see on the news is 30 year old technology I have come to believe. Not saying
anything bad about russias' or chinas' stuff but any one who has gone head to
head with our technology unleashed hasn't faired well at all.

200kts? 300nm range? can i have some of that stuff you're smoking?

Maybe you have mistaken our torps for russian Shkval's VA-111's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shkval

250+ knots, 13000m range.