TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan signalled on Thursday that it had deserted a plan to purchase superior new anti-submarine warfare helicopters from the USA, saying they have been too costly.

Taiwan had earlier mentioned it was planning to purchase 12 MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:) unit Sikorsky, however Taiwanese media reported that the USA had rejected the sale as not being in keeping with the island’s wants.

Requested in parliament about current adjustments to Taiwan’s purchases of recent U.S. weapons, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng talked about the helicopter case first.

“The value is just too excessive, past the scope of our nation’s skill,” he mentioned.

Two different arms purchases have additionally been delayed – M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery methods, and cell Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

The Raytheon Applied sciences (NYSE:)’ Stingers are in sizzling demand in Ukraine, the place they’ve been used in opposition to Russian plane, however U.S. provides have shrunk and producing extra of the anti-aircraft weapons faces important hurdles.

Chiu mentioned that they had already signed the contract for the Stingers and paid for them, and they’d press the USA to ship them.

“We do not view arms gross sales as an insignificant matter, and we’ve back-up plans,” he added, with out elaborating.

Taiwan says the USA has provided it alternate options to the M109A6, together with truck-based rocket launchers made by Lockheed Martin referred to as the Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.

Chiu mentioned they have been nonetheless contemplating their choices on that.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its personal territory, is endeavor a army modernisation programme to enhance its capabilities to fend off a Chinese language assault, together with with precision weapons like missiles.

President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the idea of “uneven warfare”, which includes creating high-tech, extremely cell weapons which might be laborious to destroy and might ship precision assaults.

U.S. officers have been pushing Taiwan to modernise its army so it could actually turn into a “porcupine”, laborious for China to assault.

China has been ramping up its personal army modernisation and stress in opposition to Taiwan because it seeks to pressure the democratically ruled island to simply accept Beijing’s rule.