The Air Force will commission its first combat wing of 42 upgraded F-16V fighter jets in November, reports said Tuesday (Sept. 21).
Taiwan has purchased 66 new F-16Vs from the United States, but in the meantime, it has been upgrading its 141 F-16A/B aircraft to F-16Vs by adding modern electronic systems, CNA reported.
The program is expected to be finished by 2023, when the new jets start arriving, but a first group of 42 has been completed, allowing them to be commissioned into the Air Force. The ceremony had been originally planned for April, but the domestic COVID-19 outbreak forced a delay until November, CNA quoted a military source as saying.
The upgraded aircraft will be stationed at the Chiayi Air Force Base, while the new F-16Vs will be housed on the east coast at the Zhihang Air Force Base in Taitung County, reports said.
Source: Taiwan News
