EC 225 helicopters

February 9, 2010: Taiwan is buying twenty EC 225 helicopters, for about $37 million each, from Germany. This is a civilian version of the Super Puma, and is primarily used for search and rescue. The 11.2 ton, twin engine, EC 225 can carry up to 25 passengers. Top speed is 200 kilometers an hour and endurance is 3-4 hours. Only three helicopters are being purchased at first, to see what the Chinese reaction is. China has been increasingly hostile to countries that sell military equipment to Taiwan. The EC 225 is a civilian helicopter, but can easily be converted, by Taiwanese firms, to military use. If the Chinese come down too hard on Germany (a major exporter to China), Taiwan may not get the other 17 EC 225s.

2010年2月9日：中国台湾地区正在从德国购买二十架EC 225型直升飞机，每架大约三千七百万美元。这是“超级美洲狮”（Super Puma）的一种民用型，主要用于搜寻和援救。EC 225型重量11.2 吨，双发动机，能最多携带25位乘客。最高飞行速度每小时200公里，续飞时间3-4个小时。起初仅仅购买三架直升飞机，去看中国有什么反应。中国大陆对向台湾地区出售军事装备的国家已经逐渐抱有敌意。EC 225型是一种民用直升飞机，但是能容易地被转换，被台湾地区的公司改装成军用。如果对德国（一个主要的对华出口者）强硬决定并宣布反对，台湾地区可能无法获得另外的17架EC 225型直升飞机。