Taiwan's first F-16 A/B fighter wing was commissioned yesterday at an air base in Chiayi, in a ceremony attended by President Chen Shui-bian (
Yesterday's ceremony featured a flyover by 24 F-16s and a static display of 18 other F-16s of the Chiayi-based 455th F-16 wing.
In an address delivered at the ceremony, Chen reiterated that Taiwan does not intend to engage in an arms race with China.
"Our arms build-up is aimed at maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait. Only if we have deterrent and self-defense capabilities can we prevent the onset of war," Chen said.
"The commissioning of new generation fighter wings in recent years represents a new phase of our arms build-up. It also strengthens our determination to defend the democracy and freedom of Taiwan," he said.
Another F-16 A/B air wing is scheduled to be commissioned next month.
The 455th F-16 wing is comprised of three combat squadrons and a training group. It has a total of 76 F-16s.
Lieutenant Colonel Peng Ming-yang (彭明陽), leader of the wing's 22nd squadron, said the commissioning of the first F-16 wing would help maintain the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait.
"China now has Su-27 and Su-30 advanced fighters. But the presence of F-16s here in Taiwan is enough to deter China from making an aggressive move," Peng said.
"We cannot reveal what kinds of preparations we have made against potential threats from the Chinese air force. But we can assure the public that we are ready for all kinds of threats," he said.
Another senior pilot with the 22nd squadron, who declined to be identified, expressed concenerns about the on-going shortage of experienced and well-trained pilots in the newly commissioned F-16 squadrons.
"I cannot tell you how serious the problem is. But the problem is caused by external factors, not internal factors. The air force academy does not have as many students as it did before. The supply of combat pilots has been seriously affected as a result," the pilot said.
Although all of the 76 F-16s at the Chiayi air base have pilots, it is believed that half of the pilots have yet to be fully trained and qualified to fly combat missions.
Peng said that the F-16 pilots without necessary flight experience need to undergo up to a year of training before they can be assigned difficult missions.
The event marked the third commissioning ceremony for second-generation fighter planes that Chen has overseen, having previously inducted air wings of domestically-built IDFs in July and French-made Mirage 2000-5s in May.
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