The Ministry of National Defense is increasingly turning to General Electric (GE) F414 engines for the planned Advanced Defense Fighter (ADF) program as concerns mount over the nation’s ability to overcome technological bottlenecks, a defense official said on Saturday.
Taiwan’s ADF program intends to produce a fifth-generation tactical fighter using a low observability airframe, internal weapons bay, active electronically scanned array radar system, datalinks and an optional vectored thrust, among other advanced features.
The fighter jet would be a twin-engine design with a combined thrust of 22,000 pounds, an increase from the 18,500 pounds provided by the pair of Honeywell/ITEC F125 turbofans in the AIDC F-CK-1, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Screen grab from Wikipedia
The ministry pursued a double-pronged acquisition strategy for the engines by simultaneously funding the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology classified Vega Project (織女星計畫) to develop the propulsion systems and soliciting international aerospace firms, they said.
Taking on the technological challenge of indigenously developing modern fighter jet engines was to ensure the nation would not be reliant on an outside source for a major weapon system’s key components, the source said.
The bet did not appear to be paying off as the institute encountered unspecified problems that might have to do with metallurgy techniques required for the high-pressure compressors used in powerful engines, they said.
The institute previously told lawmakers that it has achieved or acquired 12 crucial technologies to build medium-sized turbofan engines but not the large units called for by the ADF program.
However, the ministry would continue to push toward developing the technological know-how to manufacture jet engines while also looking for other solutions, including the General Electric F414, they said.
The US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are jets that use two F414 turbines, which generate 26,000 pounds of thrust altogether, the source said.
A a ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the AFD program, saying that next year’s military budget is still being designed with countering specific threats and operational priorities in mind.
No specific details about the budget can be provided until the Executive Yuan finalizes the ministry’s expenditure limit, they said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS