Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Franklin said:

This video is about the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo upgrade program. This is a plane that is not being talked about here and there is very little information out there about this platform. Now it says in the video that the new prototype of the AIDC IDF C/D was build around 2005. But I thought that the plant closed down in 2000 after the last of the production run of 130 planes has finished. So if they can still build new prototypes from scratch in 2005 after the plant has closed. Why can't they restart the program and build more production planes ? Because right now Taiwan isn't building any new planes but simply upgrading the older ones.

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Is it actually a new prototype or a upgraded original prototype or a upgraded production A/B?? Several flight development frames were kept.
The IDF would actually make a good USAF TX platform!

F-CK-1C/D Ching-kuo is a modernised variant of A/B can use AShM HF-II especially , right now 70 planned also for the others 60 F-CK-1A/B

FORBIN said:

F-CK-1C/D Ching-kuo is a modernised variant of A/B can use AShM HF-II especially , right now 70 planned also for the others 60 F-CK-1A/B

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What are those 2 big humps on top of engines of F-CK-1C/D?

Are there going to be engines upgrade as well?

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The F-CK-1D prototype ("Brave Hawk"), with the accompanying F-CK-1C single-seater prototype in the background, at their public unveiling.

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Zetageist said:

What are those 2 big humps on top of engines of F-CK-1C/D?

Are there going to be engines upgrade as well?

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looks like conformal fuel tanks.

Yes those are conformal tanks. The days for an upgraded engine are gone. FWIW GE even check fitted a J101 (F404/414 hybrid) in either a prototype or check rig when they were still working on the F125X.
article on both engines

cptplt said:

Yes those are conformal tanks. The days for an upgraded engine are gone. FWIW GE even check fitted a J101 (F404/414 hybrid) in either a prototype or check rig when they were still working on the F125X.
article on both engines

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Oh, yeah, 1992 was the heyday for the ROC Air Force. Taiwanese economy was robust so it became the biggest arm purchaser in the world - already got IDFs in production and bought French Mirage 2000. The Cold War was over and Soviet Union collapsed. There was a team of Taiwanese delegates in Russia, waiting to sign a deal on purchasing a fleet of SU-27s for a bargain. U.S. government got a wind of it then decided to sell Taiwan F-16s, which was ROC Air Force's first choice anyway.

To admit I've not seen it yet, but in the current AFM is an Air Force report ..

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Besides that are there any recent news about a new fighter or any other new types ?? Especially the F-5 family, their own AT-3 trainer and surely a few other types are already more than dated !

Deino

Deino said:

To admit I've not seen it yet, but in the current AFM is an Air Force report ..

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Besides that are there any recent news about a new fighter or any other new types ?? Especially the F-5 family, their own AT-3 trainer and surely a few other types are already more than dated !

Deino

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On the F-5 there are still 32 in service and about 100 in reserve, they are about to be retired in 2019. The only thing happening in the air force right now is that Taiwan is continuing upgrading its F-CK-1 Ching-kuo's A/B fleet of 126 planes to the C/D standard. They got new Apache's and Black Hawks from America recently. The AT-3's said to have past their service life in 2010 but the AIDC has a service life extention program to keep them going till 2016. Taiwan is currently trying to find international partners for the production of new trainers to replace the AT-3.

Thanks ... But the main question remains: what new fighter could be purchased as a replacement for the Mirage 2000 and F-16 on the "high" end and later also to replace the F-5 and F-CK-1 in the mid to lower segment ??

Deino

Deino said:

Thanks ... But the main question remains: what new fighter could be purchased as a replacement for the Mirage 2000 and F-16 on the "high" end and later also to replace the F-5 and F-CK-1 in the mid to lower segment ??

Deino

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None. No one is willing to sell new fighter jets to Taiwan at the moment. Not the Russians, not the Europeans and the Americans have also refused to sell to Taiwan any new fighter jets so far. There is an upgrade program in the works for Taiwan's F-16 fleet of 144 planes. Those will be equipped with an AESA radar, new avionics and a helmet mounted sight. This will start around 2021.

The majority of Taiwans fighters were delivered before 1995. In fact all of the Mirage 2000's and the F-16's and all but a handful of the IDF's were deliverd before 1995. So they are all less than 20 years old. Those airframes still have 15 to 20 years life left in them.

Over the past 15 years Taiwan has nearly gutted her entire aerospace industry while China has pushed hers to new heights. That combined with China's growing diplomatic cloud in the world has created a evermore inbalanced air power situation across the Taiwan Straits.