A civil aviation company is working with the military to develop a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
The aircraft, called verticraft, is a combination of helicopter and jet plane that is capable of taking off and landing using helicopter rotors and flying at high speeds using two jet engines.
The plane is expected to be a multi-role military aircraft capable of carrying out search and rescue missions during times of peace and war. In addition, the aircraft would act as a gunship on the battlefield.
The plane is being developed by Taichung-based Modus Verticraft, which plans to produce its first prototype in June and a second prototype, which will be larger and more powerful, in two to three years.
"By August, we will find out from the military how they want the aircraft to be," said Chiang Shan-yung (江上永), president of Modus.
"The aircraft we are building is to serve the defense needs of Taiwan in the future. If runways at military airports are damaged by enemy fire, all the fighter planes will become useless," Chiang said. "The verticraft will be the sole survivor."
The military's next-generation fighter plane is also expected to be a VTOL aircraft, but there are doubts it will be a plane manufactured by Modus.
The air force is working on a Joint Services Fighter (JSF) with the US, and some versions are expected to be capable of vertical take-offs and landings.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the air force plans to purchase the JSF as its next-generation fighter plane.
The plan is to buy roughly 60 JSFs in 10 years, deploying them at Taichung's CCK military airport, the defense official said.
The Indigenous Defense Fighter planes at CCK would be removed by that time to Taitung's Chihhung air base as second-line fighters.
The navy also has plans for buying VTOL-capable aircraft, although it may cancel the purchase because of the huge costs associated with this kind of aircraft.
The aircraft the navy is interested in is the AV-8B that is being used in the US. The navy plans to buy a squadron of the planes, around 16, but the price of the aircraft and its cost-effectiveness are major factors that mean naval leaders remain undecided over the deal.
Because its cheaper, the a lower-end VTOL aircraft being developed by Modus makes it attractive to cost-conscious militaries.
"Our verticraft will be affordable to any country which has a regular army. It will be sold at US$4 million each," Chiang said. "It will suit both rich and poor countries."
"We will have considerable orders from the US military for the aircraft. The aircraft is expected to replace the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft now used by the US marines. The MV-22 has been grounded for deadly crashes that happened last year," Chiang said.
The Modus verticraft is a revolutionary design, patented in both the US and Taiwan, Chiang said. Its original designer was a US citizen and Vietnam War veteran.
Chiang's company estimates that within five years there will be orders for 200 verticraft and 110 unmanned versions of the aircraft. The company expects to earn over US$700 million from the deals.
Since last year, the Modus verticraft has been listed in a yearbook published by Jane's publishing company.
Jane's says the verticraft has a maximum speed of 300kmh and a maximum range of 1,000km.
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