Taiwan Wants Attack, Transport Helicopters

Taiwan wants to buy 120 attack and transport helicopters from the United States. A request to purchase 30 Boeing Apache AH-64D Block 2 Longbows has already been approved by the defense minister. It is a deal that could cost as much as $6.5 billion and is angering mainland China, which claims the island nation as its own. Any purchase would have to be approved by the Taiwanese cabinet and the United States, Taiwan's largest arms supplier. In addition to the Apaches, the military is considering the purchase of 90 UH-60 Black Hawks made by Sikorsky Aircraft or the Bell Helicopter UH-1Y. Currently, the military flies the UH-1H, which has been involved in a number of crashes, the latest of which was last week and killed eight officers.       For related news.