"The US has agreed to sell software of the missiles, which will be installed on the fire control system of the F-16s (fighter jets)," Air Force Colonel Shen Yuan-tai said.

He said Taiwan offered to buy the missiles during a meeting with US military officials last year.

Defense ministry officials said the air force has long sought to purchase the missiles to counter China's continuing modernization of its air fleet.

The AIM-120 has a range of 50 kilometers (31 miles) and has a guidance system featuring active radar homing.

Taiwanese media have speculated Washington's knod to the sale was sparked by Beijing's deals to purchase fighter jets and air-to-air missiles from Russia.

Washington had refused bids by Taipei to buy AIM-120s, which will give Taiwan's air force "beyond-vision" attack capability, for fear of causing a military imbalance over the Taiwan Strait.

The United States remains Taiwan's leading arms supplier, despite shifting its political recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Beijing has acquired dozens of Russian-made Su-27 jet fighters, and is seeking to buy more advanced Su-30s.

Chinese leaders have renewed their option of using force to reunify with the Nationalist island after Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui redefined the cross-strait ties as "special state-to-state relationship" in July.

Beijing regards the statehood claim as a deviation from its "one-China policy," which was respected by Washington, Beijing and Taipei and was the basis for peace in the region.

Copyright 1999 AFP. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by AFP and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

USAF Fact Sheet AIM-120 AMRAAM

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