Taiwan and the US have agreed to prioritize the development of indigenous depot-level maintenance and repairs for Lockheed Martin F-16s, a defense official said yesterday.
The program aims to make the nation self-sufficient in meeting the F-16Vs’ maintenance needs, as opposed to shipping the jets to the US for major repairs, said the official, who declined to be named.
Another benefit of the program is to make Taiwan the maintenance center for the F-16 family of jets in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.
Photo: Lin I-chang, Taipei Times
The government has so far allocated NT$110 billion (US$3.55 billion) to upgrade the air force’s F-16A/Bs to F-16V standard, for which the US is to give Taiwan an US$800 million industrial cooperation credit, the official said.
When F-16 performance upgrade expenditures surpass NT$140 billion, additional industrial cooperation credits would become available, they said.
Depot-level maintenance and repair was the 17th item in the original version of the Taiwan-US F-16 performance upgrade industrial cooperation program, the official said.
However, after talks with US officials, the government decided to move depot level maintenance and repair capability to the top spot and to accelerate related work, the official said.
The government on May 24 began the initial evaluation for building an F-16 sustainment support center, allocating industrial cooperation credits totaling US$50 million for its use, the official said, adding that another US$450 million in credit is reserved for construction planning and preparation.
The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that the air force is to use the industrial cooperation credit for the center.
The center is to utilize the US military’s aircraft logistical management techniques, which would be transferred from Lockheed Martin Corp to the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the ministry said.
The center is expected to be a boon for the nation’s aeronautics sector and provide valuable insight for developing the infrastructure to maintain future indigenous jets, it said.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS