Taiwan to start upgrade of F-16 fighters early next year: AIDC
ROC Central News Agency
2016/05/07 17:29:56
Taipei, May 7 (CNA) An upgrade of Taiwan's fleet of F-16 fighter planes will begin in early 2017, shortly after the completion of a hangar that is being built for that purpose, according to the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (漢翔, AIDC).
Upon completion next January, Taiwan's biggest fighter jet maintenance facility will have the capacity to handle the upgrade of 24 aircraft per year in the country's F-16A/B fleet, AIDC Chairman Anson Liao (廖榮鑫) said.
Under a special Air Force project, Taiwan will spend NT$110 billion (US$3.39 billion) to upgrade 142 fighters in its F-16A/B fleet, while the first two planes that were purchased will be sent to the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin in the United States, for upgrade.
The fleet upgrade will include the installation of an AN/APG -83 radar system, helmet sighting system and the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to improve the aircraft's combat capacity.
The F-16A/B upgrade project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
(By Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu)
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