A Ministry of National Defense (MND) report shows that Chinese fighter aircraft are better than Taiwan’s, a revelation that will likely intensify calls for Taipei to procure advanced F-16C/D fighters from the US.
The report says the nation’s Indigenous Defensive Fighters (IDF) and French-made Mirage 2000-5s are inferior to China’s Su-30s, which are made by Russia.
A ministry source said the military recently completed a computer simulation of the capabilities of Taiwan and China’s fighters.
The source told the Chinese-language Liberty Times’ (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) that when facing China’s Su-27s, Su-30s and J-10 fighters, Taiwan’s F-16A/Bs had a slight advantage, while the IDFs and Mirage were inferior.
The computer evaluation showed that Su-30s are the best jets in China’s air force.
While an F16A/B can match an Su-30, an Su-30 has 1.7 times the capability of the IDF and 2.8 times that of the Mirage 2000.
A J-10, meanwhile, has 0.88 times the capability of an F-16A/B, but 1.36 times that of a Mirage and 1.52 times that of the IDF.
The military source said the main factor behind the results of the evaluation was the projected range of the air-to-air missiles the jets possess.
F-16A/Bs carry US-made AIM-20 missiles, IDFs carry domestic TK-2 missiles and Mirage 2000s carry French-made MICA missiles.
The Su-30s and Su-27s carry the Russian-made R-77 missiles while the J-10 carries Chinese-made PL-12s.
The source said that since the MICA only has a projected range of 60km — while the other four missiles have projected ranges of more than 100km — the Mirage 2000 did badly in the evaluation.
A senior fighter pilot told the Liberty Times the computer simulation was questionable because it failed to consider an aircrafts’ combat capabilities.
The Mirage’s electronics system and its engagement capabilities would be much better in actual combat than the evaluation showed, he said.
The pilot said the evaluation was part of the military’s effort to procure F-16C/D fighters from the US.
“As the Chinese air force continues with its military buildup and the military balance has gradually tipped toward the other side, the air force will strive to purchase F-16C/Ds,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry’s report came after the Obama administration approved a US$6.4 billion arms package to Taiwan in January, prompting Beijing to halt military exchanges and security talks with Washington.
The deal includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and equipment for the F-16s, but not the submarines or the F-16C/Ds Taipei requested.
Analysts have said they doubt Washington would risk angering Beijing by approving the sale of more sensitive items such as the more advanced F-16C/Ds.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday criticized the nuclear energy referendum scheduled for Saturday next week, saying that holding the plebiscite before the government can conduct safety evaluations is a denial of the public’s right to make informed decisions. Lai, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made the comments at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei. ‘NO’ “I will go to the ballot box on Saturday next week to cast a ‘no’ vote, as we all should do,” he said as he called on the public to reject the proposition to reactivate the decommissioned
RSS