The air force would receive 66 more F-16V Block 70 jets in the next two years, and would send 65 pilots to the US for specialized tactical training, a source said yesterday.
All of the air force’s 140 F-16V Block 20 fighters in active service have already been upgraded with newer equipment, and the air force would acquire more advanced Block 70 jets beginning this year, the source said.
The newer jets would be deployed at bases in Taitung County to counter the threat of a Chinese attack on Taiwan’s east coast, the source added.
Photo: Reuters
The US originally approved the sale of the Block 70 jets in 2019, and since then Taiwan’s military has invested NT$140.2 billion (US$4.56 billion) into upgrading its existing Block 20 jets.
The new jets are expected to cost Taiwan NT$247.2 billion, a recent Ministry of National Defense budget report said.
Initially, the US was expected to deliver one single-seat aircraft and one two-seat aircraft last year, but delivery has been delayed, and the first aircraft is now expected to reach Taiwan by the third quarter of this year, the source said.
However, the original plan to ship all aircraft by 2026 was still on schedule, the source added.
As part of preparations for putting the new jets into service, the air force’s 7th Squadron has been restructured into a tactical fighter wing with three combat teams, the source said.
Flight training — originally handled by the Air Force Academy — is now to be handled by a separate training unit in the air force headed by a major general, the source said.
The new unit would handle logistics and pilot training for all of the air force’s aircraft including the T-5 Brave Eagle, the AT-3 Tzu Chung and the Beech T-34C Turbo Mentor, while the pilots for the F-16V would also receive tactical training in the US.
The military has also budgeted NT$9.8 billion for the purchase of six new MS-110 reconnaissance pods for the F-16Vs that would be acquired over the coming five years, and five people would be sent to the US this year for training on the pods, the source said.
Training is to cover the pods’ interface and operation, diagnostics, maintenance and instructor training, among other things, the source said.
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