WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp is helping arm U.S. lawmakers for a renewed push to sell its new F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, not just the Obama administration’s planned $5.3 billion upgrade of old ones.

A Lockheed Martin official last week emailed an unsigned memo to lawmakers on Capitol Hill titled “Taiwan — The Benefit of New F-16 C/Ds,” two congressional staff members said.

Lockheed’s memo to lawmakers was dated Sept. 22, a day after the administration told Congress that it was offering Taiwan a $5.3 billion retrofit of 145 F-16 A/B models sold in the 1990s. Administration officials said a decision had not yet been made on Taiwan’s 5-year-old request for 66 new F-16 C/D models valued at $8.3 billion.

Beijing calls U.S. arms sales to Taiwan the chief obstacle to better relations between the United States and China, now the world’s biggest economies.

China’s foreign minister urged the United States on Monday to reconsider its decision to upgrade the jets, saying it could harm ties between Washington and Beijing.

Beijing suspended military-to-military contacts with the United States for most of 2010 after the previous, $6.4 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan. China regards U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as interference in its domestic affairs.

The Lockheed memo included “rebuttal points” to what Lockheed called the expected conclusion of a Pentagon report that the administration could use to try to defuse criticism of its decision not to release new F-16s to Taiwan.

WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is helping arm U.S. lawmakers for a renewed push to sell its new F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, not just the Obama administration’s planned $5.3 billion upgrade of old ones.

A Lockheed Martin official last week emailed an unsigned memo to lawmakers on Capitol Hill titled “Taiwan — The Benefit of New F-16 C/Ds,” two congressional staff members said.

Lockheed’s memo to lawmakers was dated Sept. 22, a day after the administration told Congress that it was offering Taiwan a $5.3 billion retrofit of 145 F-16 A/B models sold in the 1990s. Administration officials said a decision had not yet been made on Taiwan’s 5-year-old request for 66 new F-16 C/D models valued at $8.3 billion.

Beijing calls U.S. arms sales to Taiwan the chief obstacle to better relations between the United States and China, now the world’s biggest economies.

China’s foreign minister urged the United States on Monday to reconsider its decision to upgrade the jets, saying it could harm ties between Washington and Beijing.

Beijing suspended military-to-military contacts with the United States for most of 2010 after the previous, $6.4 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan. China regards U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as interference in its domestic affairs.

The Lockheed memo included “rebuttal points” to what Lockheed called the expected conclusion of a Pentagon report that the administration could use to try to defuse criticism of its decision not to release new F-16s to Taiwan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp is helping arm U.S. lawmakers for a renewed push to sell its new F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, not just the Obama administration’s planned $5.3 billion upgrade of old ones.

A Lockheed Martin official last week emailed an unsigned memo to lawmakers on Capitol Hill titled “Taiwan — The Benefit of New F-16 C/Ds,” two congressional staff members said.

Lockheed’s memo to lawmakers was dated September 22, a day after the administration told Congress that it was offering Taiwan a $5.3 billion retrofit of 145 F-16 A/B models sold in the 1990s. Administration officials said a decision had not yet been made on Taiwan’s 5-year-old request for 66 new F-16 C/D models valued at $8.3 billion.

Beijing calls U.S. arms sales to Taiwan the chief obstacle to better relations between the United States and China, now the world’s biggest economies.

China’s foreign minister urged the United States on Monday to reconsider its decision to upgrade the jets, saying it could harm ties between Washington and Beijing.

Beijing suspended military-to-military contacts with the United States for most of 2010 after the previous, $6.4 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan. China regards U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as interference in its domestic affairs.

The Lockheed memo included “rebuttal points” to what Lockheed called the expected conclusion of a Pentagon report that the administration could use to try to defuse criticism of its decision not to release new F-16s to Taiwan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States expects some fraying of relations with China over its $5.3 billion plan to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16 fleet but not as “shrill” a reaction as if it had met the request for new fighter jets, the top U.S. military commander in the region told Reuters on Friday.

China has condemned the planned retrofit of Taiwan’s 145 F-16 A/B fighters sold in 1992. But it has not yet announced any retaliatory steps.

“We anticipate that there will be effects as a consequence of this. We aren’t sure what those details will be,” Admiral Robert Willard, head of the U.S. military’s Pacific Command, said in an interview.

“Several of us have standing invitations to China later in the year and we’ll see what happens. I’ve been canceled before.”

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province subject to unification with the mainland by force if necessary.

The U.S. offer to Taiwan includes sales of advanced air-to-air missiles, guided bombs and sophisticated radar equipment.

“I’m certain that had there been any sales over and above what this Taiwan arms sales package contained that the response would have been more shrill,” Willard said.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – The Obama administration told the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that it planned a $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan’s F-16 fighter fleet, angering Beijing but disappointing new arms-sales advocates.

China condemned the retrofit of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 A/Bs sold in 1992 as a “grave interference” in its internal affairs and warned that it will damage military and security ties with the United States.

In January 2010, China froze military-to-military ties and threatened sanctions against U.S. arms makers after President Barack Obama approved a potential $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan left over from the administration of George W. Bush, including Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot anti-missile missiles and two refurbished Osprey-class mine-hunting ships.

The upgrade of the 145 F-16s will give them essentially the same capabilities as late-model F-16 C/Ds that Taiwan has sought for five years without success, U.S. officials said. They said Taiwan would get the capability sooner and cheaper, a point of contention with advocates of new F-16s.

The administration also notified Congress that it planned a five-year, $500 million extension of F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base and to sell $52 million in spare parts for Taiwan’s F-16s, F-5s, and C-130s. All together, the potential sales total $5.85 billion.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Taiwan was an “internal matter” that affected China’s territorial integrity and the national feelings of 1.3 billion Chinese people.

“China urges the U.S. to clearly understand the acute sensitivity and serious harmfulness of selling arms to Taiwan, and to treat China’s solemn stance seriously,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said.

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The Obama administration notified the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that it plans to go ahead with a potential $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan’s aging fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets despite China’s opposition to such arms deals.

China condemned the proposed arms sale and warned that the U.S. decision will harm its “core interest” in Taiwan and damage China-U.S. military and security cooperation.

The retrofit of 145 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) F-16 A/B aircraft will give them essentially the same capabilities as late-model F-16 C/Ds that Taiwan sought to deter any attack, U.S. officials told reporters ahead of the notification.

In Taipei, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the upgrade of its F-16s will contribute to regional peace by improving its defence capability in the face of what it called a continued threat from China.

Taiwan would continue to press for 66 new F-16s to replace its F-5 fighters that are more than 30 years old, the ministry said in a statement.

In the U.S. Congress, 47 of the 100 U.S. senators and 181 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives have written to President Barack Obama since May to urge him to sell Taiwan at least 66 late-model F-16 C/D planes.

Beijing deems Taiwan a renegade province and sees U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled island as the top obstacle to improved ties between the United States and China, now the world’s two biggest economies.

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The Obama administration formally notified the U.S. Congress on Wednesday of a potential $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan’s aging fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets despite China’s opposition to such arms deals.

The retrofit of 145 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) F-16 A/B aircraft will give them essentially the same capabilities as late-model F-16 C/Ds that Taiwan sought to deter any attack, U.S. officials told reporters ahead of the notification.

In Taipei, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the upgrade of its F-16s will contribute to regional peace by improving its defence capability in the face of what it called a continued threat from China.

Taiwan would continue to press for 66 new F-16s to replace its F-5 fighters that are more than 30 years old, the ministry said in a statement.

Beijing deems Taiwan a renegade province and sees U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled island as the top obstacle to improved ties between the United States and China, now the world’s two biggest economies.

In the U.S. Congress, 47 of the 100 U.S. senators and 181 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives have written to President Barack Obama since May to urge him to sell Taiwan at least 66 late-model F-16 C/D planes.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in its notice that Taiwan had requested 176 state-of-the-art Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, radar sets, in addition to a long list of advanced air-to-air missiles, laser- and GPS-guided bombs and other weapons systems for the F-16s sold by the United States in 1992.

RICHMOND, Va (Reuters) – The Obama administration plans to supply state-of-the-art weapons for Taiwan’s existing F-16 fighter fleet as part of a potential $5.85 billion upgrade, a U.S. official involved in Taiwan policy said on Tuesday, amid a push to shape perceptions about the deal.

“I do not have the impression that anything is being held back, frankly,” said the official, referring to Taipei’s request for technology involved in the “retrofit” of about 145 F-16 A/Bs sold by the United States in 1992.

The administration is set to notify Congress formally on Wednesday of the details of the F-16 upgrade package, requested by Taiwan in November 2009. Its broad outlines were briefed to foreign affairs committees in the Senate and House of Representatives on Friday.

It has sought to thread various diplomatic, military and strategic needles in rolling out the package while trying to send targeted, sometimes conflicting, messages to Beijing, Taipei and the U.S. Congress.

A U.S.-based expert on Taiwan’s military who asked not to be named said the air-to-air hardware included “basically everything” Taipei had sought, including the latest version of heat-seeking Raytheon Co AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and all-weather-capable AIM-120C7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air missiles, or AMRAAM.

The deal also includes state-of-the-art active, electronically scanned array, or AESA, radar, said the expert who spoke anonymously to protect access to sensitive information.

Lockheed Martin Corp builds the F-16. Raytheon and Northrop Grumman Corp are expected to compete to supply the AESA radar sets.

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) – An upgrade of Taiwan’s fleet of F-16s would provide essentially the same quality as new fighter jets, a U.S. government official said on Monday as Taiwan officials renewed a push for the latest model.

The Obama administration informally told lawmakers on Friday it would upgrade Taiwan’s 140-plus existing F-16 A/B jets while deferring Taipei’s request for the more advanced F-16 C/Ds.

The senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration would formally notify Congress of its decision on Wednesday. The official declined to confirm details of the package for Taiwan.

“Assuming the decision is to upgrade F-16 A/Bs, they will provide essentially the same quality as new F-16 C/D aircraft at a far cheaper price,” the official said in New York.

At a conference in Virginia, Taiwan’s deputy defense minister portrayed the Obama administration as yielding to China at Taipei’s peril, pressing his government’s request for 66 new F-16 multi-role fighter planes built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

“These years, China is showing stronger and stronger reaction to U.S.-Taiwan arms sales, and that (has) turned your country more wary with arms sales,” Andrew Yang, the minister, told an annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference running through Tuesday.

U.S. STUNG BY CRITICISM?

RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) – Taiwan portrayed the Obama administration on Monday as yielding to China at Taipei’s peril, renewing a push for 66 new U.S.-built Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft.

“These years, China is showing stronger and stronger reaction to U.S.-Taiwan arms sales, and that (has) turned your country more wary with arms sales,” Andrew Yang, the deputy defence minister, told an annual U.S.-Taiwan defence industry conference running through Tuesday in Virginia.

The Obama administration informally told U.S. lawmakers on Friday that it would upgrade Taiwan’s 140-plus existing F-16 A/B jets while deferring a request for the more advanced F-16 C/Ds, the latest model.

The F-16 issue underlines the role that U.S. arms-makers and their political backers play in the sensitive dealings between the world’s two largest economies over Taiwan, the thorniest issue dividing them.

The administration is expected to formally notify Congress of the proposed arms sale on Wednesday, a U.S. official said.

The U.S. government is mandated under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 to provide for Taiwan’s defence. No other country is supplying it for fear of angering Beijing, increasingly important in world economic, diplomatic and military affairs.

France and the Netherlands are among countries that have suffered economic and diplomatic retaliation for having armed Taiwan in the past. Washington has balked since 2006 at releasing the F-16 C/D, which carries a more powerful engine, advanced cockpit controls and updated display and radar technology.