The nation’s first F-16V combat squadron is to be officially commissioned in a ceremony at the Chiayi Air Base on Nov. 18, which is to be presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), a military source said on Thursday.
The F-16Vs are former F-16A/Bs that have been upgraded as part of a program launched by the air force in 2016 to retrofit all of its 141 F-16A/Bs by 2023.
The F-16Vs have been part of a long-term plan initiated by the air force in 2016 to retrofit all of its 141 F-16A/B jets into F-16Vs, which are equipped with advanced avionics, including APG- 83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar, a Helmet-Mounted Cueing System, and other flight management and electronic warfare systems.
A military source familiar with the matter said that the air force has finished upgrading at least 42 of the 141 jets.
The commissioning ceremony was originally scheduled to be held in April, but was postponed due to a local COVID-19 outbreak, the source said.
With Tsai presiding over the ceremony, an aerial show and military parade will be held to mark the historic occasion, according to the source.
After commissioning, the 42 F-16Vs are to be listed under the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing based in Chiayi.
The air force has said that the upgrading of all 141 F-16A/Bs is to be completed by 2023.
In addition to the retrofit program, Taiwan in 2019 purchased 66 new F-16Vs from the US, with delivery expected to begin in 2023.
The 66 F-16Vs are to be deployed at the Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County.
‘FRIENDSHIP FLEET’: A CGA official is scheduled to meet with the president of the Pacific nation, while one of the ships is to host a banquet and National Day event Two Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol vessels have docked at Malakal Harbor in Palau as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, the agency said yesterday. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu, set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived on Tuesday at Malakal Harbor, the CGA’s Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marks the second time the CGA has dispatched a “friendship fleet” to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien and
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) today said that two of its patrol vessels have docked at Palau's Malakal Harbor as part of an expedition exercise and diplomatic visit, during which a senior official is expected to meet with the Palauan president. The two vessels, the 4,000-tonne-class Chiayi (嘉義) and the 1,000-tonne-class Penghu (澎湖), set sail for Palau from Taiwan last week and arrived at Malakal Harbor yesterday, the CGA's Fleet Branch said in a statement. The journey marked the second time the CGA has dispatched a "Friendship Fleet" to another country, after it sent its first-ever goodwill fleet, comprising the Hualien (花蓮)
Two executives of drone supplier Jiin Ming Industry Co (錦明實業) have been detained and held incommunicado over the company's alleged use of prohibited China-made chips and camera lenses in drones supplied under recent military contracts, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office said today. In a statement, prosecutors said they raided the offices of Jiin Ming — headquartered in Taoyuan — as well as those of its subsidiaries and its suppliers on Thursday last week. The raids followed a report that the company had breached its procurement contracts by putting the prohibited components into drones delivered to the military. During the raids, prosecutors summoned
DETAILED PLAN NEEDED: Relocating the airport would affect not just travelers, but also undermine national defense and emergency medical services, a legislator said Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday proposed relocating Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and turning the site into an artificial intelligence (AI) park, drawing opposition from politicians across party lines. Chiang’s plan would turn the 300 hectares into an AI park featuring tech clusters, residential communities and green space. The industrial cluster would host 200 domestic enterprises, generate NT$12 trillion (US$376.47 billion) in output, and accommodate 65,000 jobs and 35,000 residents, he said. Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the Executive Yuan was surprised by the announcement, as the Taipei City Government did not discuss the proposal with the central government before making
RSS