The air force expects to take delivery of the first four Lockheed Martin F-16Vs, the latest variant of the fighter jet, by the end of this year and have them combat-ready by next year, a source said.
The Republic of China Air Force has budgeted NT$129.6 billion (US$4.21 billion) to have Lockheed-Martin Corp upgrade its 143 F-16A/Bs to F-16V standards.
After completing ground tests earlier this year, Lockheed in April began flight tests with the first four and the planes were spotted by aviation enthusiasts, sources said.
Military and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp sources said that they were not authorized to comment on the program, but unclassified air force data showed that the military expects the upgraded planes to be combat-ready next year should they pass the flight tests.
The remaining F-16s are to be upgraded in batches of 20 to 24 per year, starting as early as this year, sources said.
The military sees the F-16V as the most advanced fighter in the F-16 line, sources said, adding that the fighter provides at least twice the situational awareness capability of the F-16A/B.
The F-16V’s most significant improvement over the F16A/B is advanced avionics, including an AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array and a new modular mission computer, which improve radar detection range and multitarget engagement capabilities.
The upgraded fighters are to have a helmet-mounted cue system linked to AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles, giving pilots the ability to “see and shoot,” they said.
Other advanced weapons the F-16V is rated to carry and that are to be acquired via US arms sales include the AGM-154C joint standoff weapon — or glide bomb — and the AGM-88B high-speed anti-radiation missile, they said.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday
RSS