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A Taiwan Air Force F-16V at Chiayi Air Base in southern Taiwan on January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ben Blanchard
Taiwan's air force has deployed its most advanced fighter jet squadron to bolster the island's defenses in the face of growing military threats from Beijing.
The F-16V flight, attended by the island's President Tsai Ing-wen, began at a time of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military has been sending fighter jets into Taiwan's air defense detection zone on a daily basis and conducting military exercises nearby to increase pressure on the self-ruled island.
"The commissioning not only represents a new page in the history of our Air Force, but it also has three important meanings," Tsai said at Thursday's commissioning ceremony, referring to US-Taiwan cooperation and the island's aerospace and defense industries. Resistance.
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It showed the value of Taiwan's relationship with the United States as the jets were upgraded with the help of American manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Tsai said at Chiayi Air Force Base in southwestern Taiwan.
A US-made F-16V fighter jet takes off during a military exercise in southern Taiwan's Chiayi Prefecture on January 15, 2020. AP Photo/Chiang Ying-Yin
Taiwan's Air Force and aircraft manufacturer Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) have signed a NT$110 billion (US$4 billion) contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade the Air Force's 141 F-16A/B jets to the F-16V.
According to the Air Force, AIDC and Lockheed Martin have completed the modernization of 64 jets so far. Tsai said the innovation was a breakthrough for the island's aerospace technology and defense industry.
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By operating the F-16Vs, the island is strengthening its security by taking into account the fighter jets' stealth capability, advanced detection capability and combat capability, she said.
During the event, the Air Force displayed jets performing combat take-offs and landings. Twelve F-16Vs in three groups — equipped with various types of missiles, including AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles — conducted formation flights and one flew solo, highlighting its capabilities. skills.
In addition to the ongoing redesign, the Air Force has ordered 66 new F-16s, including its J-20 stealth fighter, with new avionics, weapons and radar systems to bolster the People's Liberation Army Air Force's capability. Deliveries of the $8 billion jets are expected to begin in 2023, with the last batch to be shipped to Taiwan in 2026.
A Taiwan Air Force ground crew runs to a US-made F-16V fighter jet for an emergency takeoff during an exercise in Chiayi province on January 15, 2020. AP Photo/Chiang Ying-Yin
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Chieh Chung, a national security researcher at the Taipei-based National Policy Foundation, a think tank for the main opposition Kuomintang, said the F16V had more modern engines and fuel tanks than earlier F-16As/Bs, allowing it to carry more fuel. , fly further and get closer to mainland China.
"After the redesign, the jet's overall combat capability is 180% higher than the old version, and its detection capability is 220% better," Cheah said.
Compared to older generation radars, the F-16V's active electronically scanned array radar provided multi-mode surveillance capability and enhanced all-environment precision-strike capability, allowing it to pose a greater threat to the PLA.
However, Chinese military commentator Song Chongping said that while the F-16Vs pose a threat to the PLA, they do not change the balance of power between Taiwan and the mainland.
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Read the original article in the South China Morning Post. Copyright 2021. Follow South China Morning Post on Twitter.
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