The first squadron of F-16V fighters has formally entered service with the ROCAF. (Taiwan MND)
Taiwan commissioned its first batch of upgraded F-16V Block 20 fighters on 18 November. A ceremony for the 21st Tactical Fighter Group was held at Chiayi Air Base, where the Republic of China Air Force’s (ROCAF) first F-16 fighter wing was established in the 1990s.
On the day, officials were unwilling to reveal the number of F-16Vs handed over to the ROCAF so far. Vice Defence Minister Lt Gen Wang Hsin-lung earlier told legislative members that more than 60 F-16s have rolled out of the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) plant to date.
Taiwan is the first air force
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The latest purchase of F-16V combat aircraft comes as the country presses ahead with its long-held plans to modernise its air combat capabilities and invest in the replacement of ageing Russian aircraft.
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