Surface Forces: June 6, 2003

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The United States and Taiwan have completed negotiations for the Taiwanese purchase of four Kidd class destroyers. The deal includes 248 SM-2 Block IIIA Standard missiles and 32 RGM-84L Block II Harpoon missiles. Taiwan will pay $134 million each for these destroyers. The 7400 ton Kidd class ships were originally built for Iran, and are armed and equipped more like cruisers than destroyers. The ships had not been completed when the Iranian revolution came along and the U.S. Navy acquired them in the early 1980s and put them into service. The Kidd class ships are still very modern and quite formidable. The U.S. Navy has kept them in good shape and all weapons and equipment have been kept current. The ships will be delivered over the next few years.

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