Thursday 28 December 2017

U.S. Test Pilots Head To Taiwan To Begin Testing Their Badly Needed Upgraded F-16s

The Taiwanese air force is pursuing a number of upgrade projects as it tries to keep up with Chinese developments.

BY JOSEPH TREVITHICK DECEMBER 27, 2017


The Taiwanese Air Force is reportedly getting closer to accepting its first four updated F-16V Viper fighter jets, part of a critical upgrade projectfor the country’s fleet of older F-16A/B aircraft. That program is just one of a number of modernization efforts its air arm is pursuing as it struggles to keep pace with China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force's developments, which include fifth generation stealth fightersnew missiles, and more.

On Dec. 26, 2017, Taiwanese outlet Up Media reported that the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) had finished converting the initial four F-16Vs and that American test pilots had arrived to test the aircraft. Lockheed Martin, which developed the upgrade package, has been working together with the Taiwanese state-run aviation firm on the project. Flight testing is set to begin in 2018 and the full upgrade program is supposed to wrap up some time between 2022 and 2023……Read rest of article: HERE

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F-16V Fighter – Upgrade: Details

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