TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan is considering buying powerful Kidd-class destroyers from the United States as part of the island's latest move to upgrade its military, a defense journal reported.
The U.S. Navy decommissioned the last of its four Kidd-class destroyers in 1999 and has tried to sell all four to Australia and Greece for as much as $700 million, Jane's Defense Weekly said in a report seen Sunday on its Web site.
Both countries had turned down the offer, and Taiwan was mulling the possibility of buying the warships, the report added, without saying how many Taiwan was planning to buy. The report cited anonymous military sources.
Taiwan's defense ministry declined to comment on the report.
If the deal goes through, the Kidd-class destroyers would be the largest warships in Taiwan's navy.
The Kidd-class destroyers were once among the most powerful combat and anti-submarine warships used by the U.S. Navy. The warships measure 563 feet and weigh 9,574 tons.
The warships are fitted with guided missiles and air-defense radar that allow them to command a wide swath of the ocean and were designed to handle simultaneous air, surface and submarine attacks.
The United States is required by law to sell Taiwan the necessary arms in order to defend itself.
Taiwan wants to buy submarines and warships from America and has worked hard to cultivate support in the U.S. Congress.
China, which considers the island to be a breakaway province since both sides split in 1949, opposes the weapons sales.