NEW YORK, August 19, 2008 (AFP) - A Taiwanese man has been extradited to New York from Hong Kong on charges of trying to smuggle military equipment from the United States to Taiwan, according to US prosecutors.

Yen Ching Peng tried to illegally export infrared laser aiming devices and thermal weapon sights for use on rifles, as well as a sophisticated fighter pilot's helmet, the US attorney's office in Manhattan said in a statement Monday.

'These items are listed on the United States Munitions List as items that cannot be exported without a license issued by the US Department of State,' the charge sheet said.

Peng tried to buy the military gear through an intermediary in New York, an undercover US agent.

An alleged associate of Peng was also charged in the case, Peter Liu from the Queens borough of New York.

Peng was arrested in Hong Kong on December 11 on an international arrest warrant and Peter Liu was arrested the same day in New York, prosecutors said.

Liu, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced on August 7 to 30 months in prison by a federal court in Manhattan.

Peng is charged with conspiracy to smuggle military equipment out of the United States to Taiwan, four counts of exporting munitions without a license, six counts of money laundering and three counts of export smuggling.

If convicted, he faces prison sentences of 10 to 20 years on the various counts.