TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Air Force reported to the Legislative Yuan on Friday (June 14) and revealed the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has reached out to France and the U.S. to discuss procurement of air refueling tankers and E-2 early warning aircraft. 

The military reportedly followed up on recommendations made in 2023 by Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) who reportedly recognized the effectiveness of Taiwan’s Air Force could be greatly enhanced by such acquisitions, per UDN. The MND has been instructed to provide a detailed report on strategies to obtain the aircraft within three months. 

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices in the U.S. and France have already inquired with local government agencies on the possibility of lease agreements, or of engaging private sector manufacturers to submit a tender for the aircraft. 

The defense ministry has considered acquiring E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft for several years, but was unable to move forward with their purchase due to budget constraints, per UDN. The E-2 Hawkeye is manufactured by the U.S. defense technology company Northrop Grumman. 

As for the tanker transport aircraft, no set plans for acquisition has been established, nor have any details been released as to what model or manufacturer might be propositioned. The French company Airbus manufactures a series of multi-role tanker transports used by several European air forces, while the U.S. firm Boeing makes the KC-46 Pegasus, the primary air refueling transport plane used by the U.S. Air Force.