The military’s upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16s are a major boost to Taiwan’s defense, defense experts said yesterday, as the air force marked the commission of the jets in a ceremony at Chiayi Air Base.
The program, which is to involve adding active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar systems, advanced equipment and airframe modifications, is to bring 141 legacy F-16A/Bs jets to the F-16V Block 20 standard.
Compared with the pre-upgrade models, the F-16V Block 20 is 1.8 times more effective, 2.2 times better at threat detection, 2.45 times better at cooperative engagements and 1.6 times better at weapons integration, National Policy Foundation senior assistant research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) said.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg
The AESA-type AN/APG-83 radar system represents a 30 percent improvement in detection range over the APG66(v3) system that it replaces, and is more effective in detecting the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Chengdu J-20 stealth fighters, Chieh said.
The upgrade program and procurement of 66 F-16V Block 70 jets from the US is to give the air force nearly 210 AESA-equipped fighter jets, he said, adding that the aircraft “significantly reduce China’s advantage in stealth fighters.”
Although Taiwan’s air force once boasted a peak strength of 330 fighters, all but 80 aircraft were incapable of communicating or sharing tactical imagery in real time with the Northrop Grumman E-2K airborne radar systems, the Heng Shan Military Command Center and the Keelung-class destroyers, Chieh said.
“The air force’s potential to defeat a numerically superior enemy in modern air defense operations is greatly enhanced by the integrated tactical network capabilities offered by 4.5-generation fighters such as F-16Vs,” he said.
The fighter jets also fit well within the military’s doctrine, which calls for long-distance strike abilities against PLA offensive weapon systems, and emphasizes the importance of defense in depth, he said.
The F-16V’s capability to attack sea and ground-based targets with precision-guided munitions is crucial for carrying out military operations in the deep, expansive defense zone envisioned by the Ministry of National Defense’s report for this year, he said.
The document says that the armed forces’ concept of all-out defense has shifted from defending beachheads and waters near Taiwan to pushing the defense zone toward the enemy, he said.
Under the revised doctrine, the nation’s defensive perimeter encompasses the seas off China’s Fujian Province, the Miyako Strait, the western reaches of the Pacific Ocean and the Bashi Channel, he said.
Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor of strategic and international affairs at National Chung Cheng University, said that the AESA-equipped F-16Vs would be a welcome improvement for the air force.
However, the military should avoid wearing out its fighter pilots and ground crews with more careful management of sorties, Lin said, adding that the human factor should not be ignored in favor of technological ones.
Additional reporting by CNA
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS