Taiwan has asked the US to expedite work on installing an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) across its F-16V Block 20 fleet, the air force said on Thursday.
That appeal came after a Taiwanese pilot recently experienced a brief G-force-induced loss of consciousness during a routine training mission flying a F-16V Block 20 jet, the air force said, potentially endangering his life.
The AGCAS uses data such as aircraft speed, heading and terrain to assess the risk of a ground or sea collision and alert the pilot. If the pilot does not respond, the system automatically adjusts the aircraft’s attitude and altitude to prevent a crash.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
In 2020, the air force incorporated the AGCAS into its F-16 upgrade program and said in early 2022 that installation work on Taiwan’s F-16V Block 20s was scheduled to begin in November 2023.
The work, to cover the nation’s 141 F-16V Block 20 jets, was expected to be completed in 2028. The air force on Thursday did not say how much earlier it hoped the US could finish the AGCAS installations.
Public concern over when the system would be fitted into the Block 20 fleet was heightened because of the incident that was disclosed on Tuesday involving a pilot flying a single-seat F-16V.
However, the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets that Taiwan has ordered will come equipped with AGCAS, Major General Chiang Yi-cheng (江義誠) from air force headquarters told a news conference on Wednesday.
The AGCAS upgrade involves three components — software updates, wiring modifications and flight control computer adjustments — and does not require a full replacement of the flight control computer, the air force said.
The upgrade is part of the Phoenix Rising program, which runs from 2012 to 2028, to bring Taiwan’s fleet of F-16 Block 20s to F-16V specifications, it said.
The air force added that it has used a dedicated project management mechanism to urge the US to speed up work on retrofitting the F-16V Block 20s with AGCAS.
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