Phoenix Rising project will upgrade all of Taiwan’s 144 F-16A/B aircraft
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/03
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
A Taiwanese F-16. (By Central News Agency)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The first batch of four upgraded F-16V fighter jets will be commissioned within six months, the Air Force chief said Wednesday.
The “Phoenix Rising” project (鳳展專案), ordered from Lockheed Martin last year, will upgrade Taiwan’s 144 F-16A/B jets to their latest version, named V for “viper,” at a total cost of NT$110 billion (US$3.58 billion), the Central News Agency reported.
The first four to have been upgraded have already completed aerial tests and are now on the ground in Taiwan undergoing further reviews, according to CNA.
Replying to questions at the Legislative Yuan, Air Force chief Lieutenant General Liu Jen-yuan (劉任遠) said the tests had been completed and the planes’ condition was normal, but some slight adaptations needed to be made, which would lead the four aircraft to come into service within six months. [FULL STORY]
