The head of Taiwan’s main domestic aircraft developer has called on the government to give the green light and funding to develop next-generation indigenous fighter jets soon, a move local defense experts said could boost the defense industry’s capability and increase leverage when buying advanced fighters from the US.
Ma Wan-june (馬萬鈞), president of the Taichung-based aerospace company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC), made the call 30 years after the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) developed by AIDC entered service in the nation’s air force in the 1990s.
Taiwan initiated development of the IDF in May 1982 following the US government’s refusal to sell F-16s to the country.
Photo: CNA
Since beginning service in 1992, the IDF has become the backbone of the nation’s air force fleet.
Following the development of the IDF, AIDC has also been building its own Advanced Trainer Jet (ATJ) dubbed the “Brave Eagle” since 2017, as part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plan to build indigenous warplanes, warships and submarines.
The first prototype of the new ATJ, serial number 11001/08-9001, flew for the first time in June 2020. AIDC is scheduled to deliver 66 advanced trainer aircraft by 2026.
“Now is the time for moving on to develop the next-generation ‘Advanced Defense Fighter (ADF),’” Ma said in a media interview on Aug. 18.
While 55 percent of parts used in IDFs and 75 percent of parts used in the ATJ are domestically-made, given Taiwan’s unique diplomatic isolation, AIDC estimated that it would be capable of building 95 percent of all parts to be used in the future ADF once the government agrees to launch the project, Ma said.
Advancing indigenous weapon system development and construction capacities is definitely the right path for Taiwan, since they are valuable for the country both in boosting its defense capability and bringing economic benefits, Ma said.
Indigenous weapon design and development are a long-term mission, and one cannot simply call it off after the completion of one stage, he said.
“It would take approximately 15 years to develop an aircraft, plus another 10 years before entering mass production,” he said.
He disclosed that after completing the development of the IDF from the 1980s to the 1990s, many AIDC talents decided to find work overseas, including in South Korea, where they helped the Asian country develop its T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets.
“Brain drain is inevitable if a country is not providing a stage for talents to exercise their expertise,” he said.
AIDC, previously known as the Aero Industry Development Center, was founded in 1969 under the Republic of China Air Force. In 1983, it became part of the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
In 1996, AIDC was transformed into a government-owned company under the authority of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
In response to Ma’s call to develop the next-generation indigenous fighter jet, the Air Force did not give a direct answer, only saying that the military has always made plans for weapons system procurement and development based on its defensive needs and the latest enemy threats.
Meanwhile, former deputy commander of the Air Force, Chang Yan-ting (張延廷), said it was important for Taiwan to start putting resources into developing next-generation fighter jets.
Taiwan was able to buy F-16s from the US in the 1990s after it had successfully developed and produced IDFs, he said, adding that although it is costly, if Taiwan begins to develop its own ADF, the US would more likely grant F-35 sales to the country.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
The 2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland–Winter Amusement Park event has teamed up with the Japanese manga series Chiikawa this year for its opening at Love River Bay yesterday, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the city government said. Following the success of the “2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland” collaboration with a giant inflatable yellow duck installation designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this year the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chiikawa by Japanese illustrator Nagano to present two giant inflatable characters. Two inflatable floats — the main character, Chiikwa, a white bear-like creature with round ears, and Hachiware, a white cat with a blue-tipped tail
RSS