By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Taiwan has now set up a special “training center” to better prepare its US-built F-16V fighter jets for air war against China, an effort to sharpen readiness for a potential attack and establish a long-term fighter-pilot war preparation center on the island of Taiwan.
As far back as 2019, the US approved the sale of 66 F-16V fighters to Taiwan, a clear move to further reinforce the island nation’s ability to challenge, blunt or slow down any kind of Chinese air attack.
An interesting essay from Taiwan’s Central News Agency says the new Air Force Flight Training Command was launched in the Kaohsiung Gangshan district.
“Cadets will learn how to carry out basic defense and offense and tactical formations in basic flight training before moving onto more advanced skills such as interception and air combat maneuvering,” the CNA essay says.
Certainly the arrival of 66 F-16Vs will continue to improve Taiwan’s air power posture, yet what seems less clear is the extent to which upgraded F-16s could rival or destroy Chinese stealthy 5th-generation land-launched J-20s. A pressing question then, would be the possible proximity of US Navy F-35B and F-35C aircraft, particularly if they had an ability to effectively and securely network with Taiwanese F-16Vs. Should a sufficient force of F-35s be within range, the stealthy US aircraft could help ensure air supremacy and a potential air-corridor for F-16s to attack Chinese ships and land targets to add mass and firepower. Also, the J-20 may be stealthy and reportedly 5th-generation, that may not mean it can dog fight any better than an F-16. Stealth would be an advantage in the realm of seeking to elude and destroy Taiwanese air defenses, yet less relevant in an air-to-air engagement should they be seen and targeted by an F-16. Since Taiwan does not have an F-35, it would need to rely upon US, Japanese or South Korean F-35s to secure air supremacy around Taiwan.
The F-16V aircraft
While the F-16 may originally be a 1980s-era fighter, the “V” variant is a high-tech upgraded F-16 built for international US allies. Therefore, the V has not only benefited from the US Air Force’s Service Life Extension Program overhauling the aircraft with new fuselage reinforcements, avionics, software and computing. The “v” model adds a new data bus, electronic warfare suite, missile warning sensor and helmet mounted cueing system.
F-16 Service Life Extension Program
More than a decade ago, the Pentagon and Air Force embarked upon an F-16 Service Life Extension Program which upgraded the upper wing skin and fittings, adjusted the bulkhead and canopy and gave the aircraft an F-35 Active Electronically Scanned Radar (AESA).
Active Electronically Scanned Radar (AESA)
With AESA, the F-16 incorporated an entirely new ability to find, detect and track enemy threats at much greater ranges. The aim of the SLEP was to extend the flight time of F-16s from roughly six-to-seven thousand flight hours to 8,000 or more flight hours. On top of that, the service’s confidence in the upgrades have led to plans to have the F-16 fly all the way out to 12,000 hours.
The AESA radar, which Lockheed developers say can track up to 20-targets at one time, is a massive upgrade beyond the F-16s previous mechanically-scanned radar. By virtue of its ability to track multiple targets, the AESA radar can scan in a 360-degree sphere to include horizontal, vertical and diagonal vectors.
Modernized Cockpit Avionics
Not surprisingly, the F-16 has also in recent years received new cockpit avionics to include moving map displays, video in the cockpit. digital graphics screens and new target tracking systems. Upgraded F-16s also uses a high degree of increased on-board automation to free up pilot focus and workload. By automatically performing a range of important procedural functions independently, a pilot is then freed up to focus more intently on other mission critical tasks.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
