Taiwan’s President Tsai Ying-wen today praised her country’s military cooperation with the United States as she officially launched her country’s new F-16V combat wing, an upgraded version of the widely used at the international level of a light multi-role light aircraft.
Frequent Chinese and US military training in the region has heightened fears of a possible conflict over Taiwan, which has its own government and military, but China sees its separatist province destined to reunite with the mainland in the future, even through of violence if necessary.
At the ceremony, at an air base in the city of Chiayi (south), Ms. Chai assured that the delivery of the upgraded fighters shows Washington’s unwavering commitment to Taipei security and the bilateral partnership.
“I believe that as long as we insist on the values ​​of democracy and freedom, there will be other countries that think like us that will stand by us on the same front,” he added at the event, which was attended by top US diplomat in Taiwan Sandra Underkerke.
The United States does not formally maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, yet it is the island’s main international patron saint and the main arms supplier to its armed forces, much to the chagrin of Beijing.
The upgrade of the F-16s, for a price of Taiwan $ 110 billion, or almost US $ 4 billion, was undertaken by a joint venture led by Lockheed Martin and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC). Added to a number of armaments partnerships between Washington and Taiwan.
Taiwan is converting 141 F-16A / Bs to F-16Vs, 64 of which are already ready, and has also ordered 64 new ones. The guy has new electronic and weapons systems and radar so he can compete with Chinese fighters, among them the almost invisible J-20 radar.
The F-16Vs can carry Raytheon Technologies’ advanced AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
With dance music playing on the loudspeakers, the upgraded fighters demonstrated: take-offs, landings, low-altitude passages.
As more upgraded fighters are put into service, Ms. Tsai said, Taiwan’s defense will be “even stronger.”
The Taiwan Air Force is generally considered to have advanced equipment and well-trained pilots, but it cannot be compared in size to that of China.
In 2019, Washington approved the sale of more F-16s in Taiwan for $ 8 billion. Once surrendered, the island will have a fleet of two hundred such fighters, the largest in Asia.
Beijing imposes sanctions on Lockheed Martin over arms sales to Taiwan.
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