The air force has received delivery of practice versions of the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, with which it plans to train F-16 fighter pilots in anticipation of receiving the real missile, a defense source said yesterday.
The practice AIM-120 missiles can be test-fired like real missiles, the source said.
"The only difference between these practice missiles and the real ones is that the former does not have a warhead. That's why these practice missiles are still very expensive to use," he said.
Eleven Jan (詹皓 ), the editor in chief of Defense Technology Monthly magazine, said with the arrival of the practice missiles, the delivery of the AIM-120 missiles to Taiwan should soon follow. The missiles are to be installed on F-16 fighter planes.
"The AIM-120 practice missiles have sophisticated seekers just like the real ones. They can be used to simulate the real conditions of an AIM-120 from the moment it is fired from its platform until it hits its target," Jan said.
The US announced last year that it would sell the AIM-120 to Taiwan. Its delivery is expected soon, as China has acquired a similar class of air-to-air missiles from Russia.
In related news, the air force on Tuesday successfully test-fired a Harpoon anti-ship missile from an F-16 fighter off the east coast of Taiwan, an air force official confirmed yesterday.
The test was the first time that a Harpoon missile has been successfully fired from an F-16 anywhere in the world, the official said.
The test was conducted at a top-security missile test site in Pingtung County's Chiupeng township.
The air force's general headquarters declined to comment on the matter.
Taiwan ordered a total of 58 Harpoon AGM-84A air-launched anti-ship missiles from the US in 1998 at a price of US$101 million.
The missiles were delivered to Taiwan last year in batches.
The navy has also surface-launched versions of the Harpoon missile, which it is currently deployed on the Knox-class frigates.
An air force official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that among the air-launched Harpoon missiles that the air force has received, some are the latest in Harpoon technology.
"The newest type of Harpoon can attack more than fighting ships. It can also effectively attack land targets," the official said.
"With these missiles, the F-16s can attack China's highly valuable military facilities along its southeastern coast from a significant distance," he said.
"More importantly, the seekers on these missiles have been significantly upgraded with software provided by the US," he said.
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