The air force is preparing to test two upgraded versions of its locally developed fighter aimed at increasing the plane's range and firepower, the authoritative Jane's Defense Weekly said.
The two prototypes, being produced by the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), are an improved version of the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), the weekly said in an article to be published on Wednesday.
It said both the range and weaponry of the plane were intentionally limited under the US technology-transfer program that was crucial to the IDF's development in the 1980s.
Prototypes
"We are preparing for ground tests. We have only manufactured two prototypes. If everything goes well we can put it into production after the air force approves the prototypes," Sun Tao-yu (
The upgrade allows the IDF to carry an additional 771kg of fuel and includes an improved avionics suite, retrofitted electronic-warfare capabilities and new weapon systems.
The landing gear has been strengthened to accommodate the added fuel and payload, but a plan to include dielectric radar-absorbing properties for a "stealth" fuselage was dropped due to concerns over weight.
The three-phase program was launched in 2001 and recently saw completion of its second phase.
More missiles
The first phase involved increasing the number of Tien Chien 2 (Sky Sword 2) air-to-air missiles from two to four, as well as integrating the new Tien Chien 2A anti-radiation missile and the new Wan Chien (Ten Thousand Swords) cluster bomb.
The second phase involved the upgrading of mission computers; electronic countermeasures; electronic warfare systems; an advanced "identification friend or foe" system and terrain-following and radar improvements.
Phase three will involve ground and air testing, with service entry scheduled for 2010 if the program is approved.
AIDC produced 130 IDFs during the 1980s to replace the nation's ageing Lockheed F-104 Starfighters and Northrop F-5 Tigers.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and