First Phase of Taiwan F-16V Program Is Complete...
The $4.5 billion “Peace Phoenix Rising” program to upgrade 139 of Taiwan’s F-16s to the F-16V (Block 70-72) configuration is complete, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced Feb. 5. The next step in the boost of Taiwan’s air defenses is to deliver 66 new-build F-16s in a comparable configuration, expected within the next two to three years.
The upgrade program began in 2016 and the first completed aircraft was delivered in late 2018. Peace Phoenix Rising is the largest F-16 FMS retrofit program since the F-16 was inducted into the U.S. Air Force in 1979, AFLCMC said. Taiwan bought 150 F-16A/Bs in 1992; most of those were upgraded under Peace Phoenix. The upgrade was originally supposed to cover 144 aircraft, but there have been attrition losses since the original request.
The $4.5 billion “Peace Phoenix Rising” program to upgrade 139 of Taiwan’s F-16s to the F-16V (Block 70-72) configuration is complete, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced Feb. 5. The next step in the boost of Taiwan’s air defenses is to deliver 66 new-build F-16s in a comparable configuration, expected within the next two to three years.
The upgrade program began in 2016 and the first completed aircraft was delivered in late 2018. Peace Phoenix Rising is the largest F-16 FMS retrofit program since the F-16 was inducted into the U.S. Air Force in 1979, AFLCMC said. Taiwan bought 150 F-16A/Bs in 1992; most of those were upgraded under Peace Phoenix. The upgrade was originally supposed to cover 144 aircraft, but there have been attrition losses since the original request.
