INDUSTRIAL CREDITS: Creation of a sustainment center would make Taiwan the go-to for F-16 maintenance in the region and help its indigenous jet-building efforts
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 20, 2018
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Taiwan and the US have agreed to prioritize the development of indigenous depot-level
An F-16 jet performs during the Air Force Day airshow at Chiayi Air Base on Aug. 7. Photo: Lin I-chang, Taipei Times
maintenance and repairs for Lockheed Martin F-16s, a defense official said yesterday.
The program aims to make the nation self-sufficient in meeting the F-16Vs’ maintenance needs, as opposed to shipping the jets to the US for major repairs, said the official, who declined to be named.
Another benefit of the program is to make Taiwan the maintenance center for the F-16 family of jets in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.
The government has so far allocated NT$110 billion (US$3.55 billion) to upgrade the air force’s F-16A/Bs to F-16V standard, for which the US is to give Taiwan an US$800 million industrial cooperation credit, the official said. [FULL STORY]
