Clinton won't export planes to Taiwan

The Clinton administration has turned down a Taiwanese request for an
advanced robot airplane, fearing it might be used to spy on mainland
China.

Last Month, San Diego-based General Atomics engaged in preliminary
talks with the Taiwan military for the purchase of up to four Predator
unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. But State Department officials have
denied General Atomics the export licenses required for the sale.

As noted in Aviation Week & Space Technology ("Prospects Mixed For
UAVs in Asia," March 6, p. 51), State Department officials refused the
export because the robot plane was seen as having "too much range."

General Atomics corporate officials noted that Taiwan has expressed
interest in the smaller and less capable Prowler 2 and I-Gnat robot
planes. Taiwan is also preparing to field its own robot spy plane, the
Kestrel 2, as part of an effort to build indigenous UAV production
capability.

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UAV robot aircraft such as the Predator perform a variety of
dangerous tasks on the modern battlefield that formerly were
accomplished by manned aircraft, such as aerial reconnaissance and
communications interception. U.S. military forces currently deploy a
wide variety of UAVs, including the Predator.

The Clinton administration has refused export of the General Atomics 'Predator' unmanned aerial vehicle to Taiwan. Photo by U.S. Navy Photographers Mate 3rd Class Jeffrey S. Viano

The General Atomics robot plane reportedly is equipped with
state-of-the-art surveillance and electronic snooping equipment. With
radar reportedly so sensitive it can detect armed troops moving on the
ground even under the worst weather conditions, several Predator robot
planes were used by the U.S. Air Force and the CIA in Kosovo and Iraq.

During the war in Kosovo, the U.S.A.F. used the robot planes to spy
on Serbian forces in the region, and Serbian air defense forces did
shoot down a Predator during the 1999 war. It is reported that the
Serbs transferred the robot plane to the Russians for examination, along
with the remains of a U.S.A.F. F-117A Stealth bomber also downed.

The robot planes also played a critical role in some of the
first-ever information warfare attacks during combat. According to the
U.S. Air Force, Predators were used as platforms by information warfare
soldiers to "hack" into Serbian air defense network computer systems and
disable them during several pre-planned attacks.

Norman Polmar, a defense analyst, noted author, and staff member at
the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, urged caution over the
claims of success by the U.S. Air Force hackers and UAV teams.

"Be careful of how you use the term 'network,'" said Polmar during a
recent interview.

"Third World countries do not have AD (Air Defense) networks in the
Western sense -- except Iraq. Indeed, the (Serbian) missile/gun system
that downed the F-117A was under local control," stated Polmar.

Defense analysts predict that Israel will benefit from the Clinton
administration's decision not to sell the robot planes to Taiwan.
Israel currently produces and exports a wide array of robot aircraft for
combat.

"(We are) open to any kind of cooperation in any country," stated
Moshe Carash, executive vice president for Israel's largest robot plane
builder Elbit. According to Carash, Elbit is authorized to let industry
partners handle the local manufacture and production of UAVs.

In a related move, Taiwan fired a political shot back at Beijing.
Republic of China (ROC) policy officials issued a blistering reply to
the communist Chinese white paper titled, "The One-China Principle and
the Taiwan Issue."

According to Beijing's white paper, "Taiwan is in fact only a local
government on Chinese soil ... The Republic of China (Taiwan) has
terminated its historical status."

The communist Chinese political paper also warned that if there is no
"settlement of cross-Straits reunification through negotiations, then
the Chinese government will only be forced to adopt all drastic measures
possible, including the use of force, to safeguard China's sovereignty
and territorial integrity."

In response, Taiwanese policy makers refuted Beijing in an internal
policy paper of their own. A detailed translation of the seven-page
policy paper, titled "Our Views on the PRC's White Paper," was provided
to WorldNetDaily.

"Beijing's statement in the 'white paper' clearly exposes its
aggressive nature and hegemonic mindset," wrote Su Chi, author of the
report and chairman of the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council.

"We must solemnly point out that the ROC (Republic of China)
government by no means agree with the PRC's unilateral definition of
'one China.' The ROC has always been an
independent sovereign state. This fact will not be changed by the
issuing of a mere 'white paper,'" said Su Chi in the council report.

"Beijing has repeatedly escalated its military threat targeted at
Taiwan during the critical moments when the ROC implements democracy.
On the one hand, this shows Beijing's rejection and fear of democracy.
On the other hand, it is a stark contrast between the two sides of the
Taiwan Strait: democracy and totalitarianism; peace and violence," wrote
Su Chi.

"The government and people will never change their determination to
defend democracy and sovereignty, to prohibit outside forces from
interfering with our democratic election, and to seek peace and
stability in the Taiwan Strait," concluded Su Chi.