U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said earlier this week that the U.S. sale includes "defense services, technical data, and defense articles" for Taiwan's air defense system, and radar equipment for the island's Indigenous Defense Fighter jets.
Remember, fighter jets are just one component of having an air force. You need the trained pilots, of course, and weapons to fire. But you also need the equipment to detect enemies, direct your own aircraft, and manage the air battle. And you need lots of trained and equipped people on the ground to keep those planes flying when the battle management people say "go there."
China protests, of course. Let them.
One day, with this radar and air defense system equipment in place, when Taiwan finally gets more advanced jets they will be able to plug into a system that can use them to maximum effect.
And I'm guessing we might be able to link to their system so we get a good picture of the air space over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait if we need to intervene.
UPDATE: Oh, rereading this after reading another article on the subject makes it clear I misread the initial article. The radar in question is for their IDF, a simple locally made fighter, and not for their ground-based air defense system. The IDF can use all the help it can get to survive in the air, of course. But Taiwan really needs F-16s. And I hope the air defense radar system on the ground is already good enough.
UPDATE: Maybe the article changed between times I read it, since another article (Tip to Defense Industry Daily) says that we will indeed sell ground-defence radar items. So my original point stands.
